MOSCOW, August 5 (RIA Novosti, Dmitry Panovkin) - The Russian Foreign Ministry may take measures to reduce the number of correspondents working for Radio Liberty/ Free Europe after its journalist Andrei Babitsky interviewed Russia's most wanted terrorist, Shamil Basayev, for U.S. television network ABC.
A spokesman for the ministry said ABC's assertion that the interview had been broadcast at Babitsky's initiative was ridiculous.
According to the source, RL/FE used loopholes in Russian legislation in the sector of information and immense foreign resources to create an extensive network of freelance correspondents in Russia. The spokesman said this was prohibited by Russian media laws.
The source said the Foreign Ministry would consider the possibility of restricting the activity of the radio station's correspondents in Russia.
The ministry accredits a limited number of foreign correspondents, while, he continued, many of RL/FE freelance correspondents work without accreditation.
"Now an opportunity to resolve the problem has opened up," the source said.
