2007-06-20 20:08:05 -

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Russia has refused to waive the diplomatic immunity of one of its citizens detained in Salzburg last week on suspicion of espionage and the man is expected to be released shortly, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
«The Russians have refused to waive the man's immunity and we expect that he will

leave Austria immediately after his release,» said Georg Schnetzer, a foreign ministry spokesman.
Wednesday afternoon, representatives from Austria's foreign ministry met with officials from the Russian Embassy in Vienna, Schnetzer said. During the meeting, Russia refused to comply with an Austrian request that it waive the man's immunity.
Schnetzer said the United Nations confirmed late Tuesday that the man, whom authorities have not publicly identified, was part of an official Russian delegation to the 50th session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space at Vienna's U.N. complex.
Schnetzer said Austria expected that the U.N. would not accept future nominations of the man as a member of delegations to U.N. conferences.

The Russian citizen, who is suspected of receiving sensitive information from a member of Austria's army, was detained at Salzburg's main train station on June 11 on the basis of a European Union arrest warrant issued by authorities in Karlsruhe, Germany. The Austrian citizen, also not identified, has also been detained.
Schnetzer said he did not have any information on when the Russian would be released.
The case has caused tension between Russia and Austria. On Friday, Russia's foreign ministry said Russian diplomats summoned Austria's ambassador Martin Vukovic and demanded that Austria release the man, who it said was an employee of the Russian space agency, and allow him to return to Russia.