Moscow denounces US statement on freezing Yukos shares

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, November 02, 2003

Moscow denounces US statement on freezing Yukos shares

A senior Russian official said Saturday that an earlier US statement on the freezing of Yukos shares is a manifestation of the double-standard policy.

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A senior Russian official said Saturday that an earlier US statement on the freezing of Yukos shares is a manifestation of the double-standard policy.

"Moscow views such statements made by the US Department of State as at least impolite and disrespectful," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko told Rossia television on Saturday evening.

Russian prosecutors froze part of Yukos shares on Thursday following the arrest and jailing of Yukos' chief executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who is charged with fraud, tax evasion and five other offenses.

US Department of State spokesman Richard Boucher said Friday that freezing the shares aroused fluctuation in Russia's financial markets and raised serious questions about the rule of law in the country.

"We've noted that it sparked concerns among domestic and international investors about respect for ownership rights in Russia," said Boucher, calling the Russian authorities to dispel concerns that the Yukos case is politically motivated.

Boucher's allegation "is undoubtedly a follow-up to the notorious double standard policy which is being widely used by the current US administration," said Yakovenko.

The Russian official recalled that Washington also applied double standards in the Chechen issue, when it commented about the disproportionate use of force in the breakaway republic.

Russian prosecutors on Friday night freed a small proportion ofthe frozen stake, which had been confirmed to have no relation with the criminal case.

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