Granting political asylum to Chechen separatist figure Ilyas Akhmadov was purely a decision of the court, not a statement of U.S. foreign policy, Washington\'s ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow told Interfax in a Tuesday interview. Asked to explain the U.S. position on granting political asylum to Akhmadov, he said: \"As for political asylum cases, it is essential to understand that in the U.S. such matters are exclusively decisions for immigration judges and courts, and the courts in the U.S. are independent both in law and in fact.\" Asked under what conditions the United States would satisfy Russia\'s request for Akhmadov\'s extradition, the ambassador said: \"In general, the United States does not extradite in the absence of an extradition treaty. However, to the extent that your question is about immigration proceedings, in the United States such matters rest with immigration judges and courts.\" Akhmadov, who calls himself the foreign minister of Ichkeria, was granted asylum in the United States in August 2004 when judicial authorities satisfied his protest against a decision made in spring 2003 to deny him asylum. (Interfax)