Moscow, April 5 (RFE/RL) - A senior Russian official involved in the settlement of a border dispute between Russia and China announced his resignation today in the far eastern city of Vladivostok.
General Valery Rozov said at a press-conference in Vladivostok that he could not lead the Russian group handling the border disput because its activity could result in the transfer of Russian territory to China. Interfax quotes Rozov as saying that he wished to "remain honest to all Russians."
Rozov also said that he sent a resignation letter to Russian border troops Commander Andrei Nikolayev. There has been no immediate comment from Nikolayev.
There are conflicting approaches among Russian policy-makers on the border dispute between Moscow and Beijing in the area of the Amur River. A spokesman for the Russian border guard commander in Moscow, Andrei Aleshin, said the exact location of the river changes every year and that both countries must clarify the border line.
The border settlement is expected to be on the agenda when President Boris Yeltsin visits China at the end of this month.