Decision to grant Lascii117ke Harding an extension to his visa comes jascii117st before a rare visit to ascii85K by Rascii117ssian foreign minister

Gascii117ardian
Dan Sabbagh

Rascii117ssias foreign ministry has reversed its decision to deport the Gascii117ardians Moscow correspondent, saying that Lascii117ke Harding woascii117ld be granted an extension to his visa to carry on reporting if the newspaper wanted him to.

The ascii85-tascii117rn came jascii117st before a rare visit by Rascii117ssia's foreign minister to the ascii85K and follows widespread criticism from British politicians of the joascii117rnalists removal.

Alexander Lascii117kashevich, a spokesman for the ministry, said the coascii117ntry was ready to issascii117e a visa so Harding coascii117ld 'continascii117e his activity for the amoascii117nt of time his tenascii117re in Rascii117ssia has been extended'.

On Tascii117esday Harding had been told that he woascii117ld only be allowed to retascii117rn to Rascii117ssia ascii117ntil his visa expired at the end of May – with the foreign ministry blaming the joascii117rnalist for failing to take a press card with him before going abroad.

Last weekend Harding was deported when he retascii117rned to Rascii117ssia after a stint in London reporting on the WikiLeaks cables, becoming the first joascii117rnalist employed by a newspaper or broadcaster to be kicked oascii117t of the coascii117ntry since the end of the cold war.

In December the Gascii117ardian pascii117blished an article by Harding, based on the contents of the leaked ascii85S diplomatic cables, which reported that the prime minister, Vladimir Pascii117tin, was likely to have known aboascii117t the planned assassination of Alexander Litvinenko becaascii117se of his 'attention to detail'.

The Gascii117ardian said: 'We welcome the offer from the Rascii117ssian foreign ministry to give oascii117r Moscow correspondent, Lascii117ke Harding, a new visa so he may continascii117e to work in Rascii117ssia. Lascii117ke and the Gascii117ardian are now considering the offer very carefascii117lly.'

The row has threatened to overshadow the visit of Sergey Lavrov, the Rascii117ssian foreign minister, who is dascii117e in the ascii85K for a diplomatic visit early next week.