Spy case clouds reset of Russia-U.S. ties

BEIJING, June 29 (Xinhua) -- An espionage dispute is unfolding between Russia and the United States as the two Cold War-era rivals try to reset their relationship.

U.S. Justice Department announced on Monday that authorities had busted a spy ring suspected of conducting long-term, "deep-cover" espionage for Moscow. Court documents said that the 11 suspects had tried to penetrate decision-making circles of the U.S. government.

Ten of the alleged spies, including four couples, were arrested on Sunday inside the United States. Cypriot authorities on Tuesday detained a Canadian man believed to be the 11th member, who was traveling with a U.S. passport.

Cypriot police said that the arrest of Robert Christofers Metsos, 55, was made under an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol at the request of U.S. authorities, and that Metsos would be extradited.

According to U.S. court documents, all the defendants face a criminal charge of conspiring to act as unlawful agents of the Russian Federation within the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Nine of them are also accused of conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, showed the court files.

In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday during a trip to Jerusalem that his country awaits explanations from the U.S. side.

"We were not told what was going on. I hope that will be explained. The only thing I can say was the time it was done was selected with a special grace," said the top Russian diplomat.

His ministry later said that the alleged reports of Russian spies operating in the United States were groundless, and that "such actions are ungrounded and have unseemly goals."

"We do not understand the reasons why the U.S. Department of Justice has made a public statement in the spirit of the Cold War," said ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko.

Meanwhile, head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Ivanov, on Tuesday declined to comment on the incident.

Russia and some Western powers have repeatedly traded accusations of running spying operations despite the end of the Cold War. Yet the latest one came at a sensitive timing.

The incident broke out on the heels of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the United States last week, during which presidents of the two countries went out for cheeseburgers, walked side by side in a park and agreed to "reset" the relations between the two old rivals.

"In any case, it is regrettable that all these things are happening on the background of the 'reset' in Russian-U.S. relations announced by the U.S. administration," said Nesterenko.

U.S. authorities said that the bust of the alleged Russian spy group wrapped up a multi-year investigation, during which investigators intercepted a message from Russian intelligence services to two of the accused, ordering them to "search and develop ties in policymaking circles" in the United States.

In a report back to Moscow, one defendant allegedly reported the change of CIA director, information gained from a private conversation with a former legislative counsel for Congress.

Court documents also said one suspect was instructed to build relationship with a New York financier well-connected in the political circles.

In a related development, Britain and Ireland said on Tuesday they are probing reports that fraudulent British and Irish passports were used by the alleged Russian spies.

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