About 100 US embassy staff allowed to leave Moscow for 30 days

Washington: The US State Department
has allowed the technical staff of its embassy in Moscow and
the families of diplomats to leave the Russian capital for a
period of 30 days because of the unfavourable environmental
situation in the city.

According to the State Department spokesperson Philip
Crawley, approximately 100 people will be able to leave Moscow
if they wish.

He added that experts from the US International
Development Agency division responsible for rendering
assistance to foreign countries hit by natural disasters
continue staying in Moscow for consultations with the Russian
government.

In the meantime, the US embassy in Moscow has
allocated USD 50,000 from its emergency fund for relief aid to
the fire victims.

PTI