The Guardian newspaper said on Wednesday it welcomed an offer by Russia to grant journalist Luke Harding a visa to return to the country.
Harding told RIA Novosti that the British paper was examining a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry that he would be able to receive a new visa if he correctly followed accreditation procedure for foreign journalists.
"If Harding wants to continue his work in Russia, we see no obstacle for this. He needs to settle his status according to accreditation rules for foreign journalists and apply for a visa to the Russian embassy. They are ready to grant it to him," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said earlier in the day.
Harding was refused reentry to Russia at Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Saturday after being absent from the country for two months. He was put on a plane back to Britain, and there were reports that his visa, valid until May 31, 2011, was annulled.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded that "no one annulled his visa" and that Harding was refused entry because he had failed to collect his accreditation documents before leaving Russia for two months at the end of last year.
Harding rejected the claim. "Ministry says I was kicked out because I "failed to pick up press card". Hilarious," he wrote on his Twitter blog on Wednesday.
Harding had fallen foul of the Russian authorities on a number of occasions, mainly for filing articles claiming Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has a $40 billion offshore account. He was also responsible for reporting on U.S. diplomatic cables leaked to The Guardian by WikiLeaks, including allegations that Russia under the rule of Vladimir Putin has become a "virtual mafia state".
MOSCOW, February 9 (RIA Novosti)
