British Council in Saint Petersburg set to defy ban

Britain's overseas cultural arm, the British Council, was set to reopen its Saint Petersburg office on Monday in defiance of a Russian ban, the Council's head in Russia said.

The office, which aims to foster cultural and educational ties, would open after a Christmas break despite the ban, British Council country director James Kennedy told AFP on Sunday.

Last month Russia ordered the Council to suspend the work of its regional branches from January 1. The move reflected worsening ties since the 2006 radiation poisoning of ex-Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in London.

Moscow said the ban was in response to Britain's expulsion of four Russian diplomats last summer. The ban also applies to another British Council branch in Yekaterinburg, though not to its Moscow centre.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said the Council is "fully entitled" to operate in Russia.

The Council operates as a department of the British embassy under a 1994 accord on cultural, scientific and educational ties.

But Russia has accused the Council of violating tax regulations.

In Saint Petersburg, Russia's second city and former tsarist-era capital, the Council offers support for English teaching and information on study in Britain.

The Council also organises cultural events and arranges ties between schools and universities in Britain and Russia. Saint Petersburg, Monday, AFP