Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of double standards on terrorism in the wake of his country?s bloodiest hostage crisis.

Lavrov told yesterday?s Vremya Novostei daily that Russia?s former Cold War foes had yet to shake off their adversarial mindset and their security services were not fully cooperating with Russia in the fight against terror.

Russia is angry that Britain and the United States have given asylum to spokesmen for Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, who Moscow blames along with rebel commander Shamil Basayev for the deaths of hundreds of hostages. ?I would use a neutral term: It?s a double standard,? Lavrov told the newspaper.

At least 326 hostages ? half of them children ? died in last Friday?s chaotic storming of School No.1 in Beslan, southern Russia, after it was seized by rebels demanding Chechen independence. Another 356 are still in hospital.

Russia?s top general vowed on Wednesday to strike at terrorist bases anywhere in the world, and Moscow has put a $10 million bounty on the heads of Maskhadov and Basayev.

Chechen rebels, in a swift reply, promised yesterday to pay $20 million to anyone helping them capture Russian President Vladimir Putin in a statement posted on separatist Web sites.

?Putin is blamed for ... many planned actions to discredit the lawful national-liberation struggle of the Chechen people against foreign aggression, including the organisation of the bloody war against children and adults in Beslan,? it said.

Maskhadov, a relative moderate among Chechen separatists who have been fighting Russia for 10 years, has denied involvement in the hostage-taking. Basayev has yet to comment, but experts say the attack showed all the signs of his leadership.

Although US and British courts have turned down Russia?s attempts to extradite Maskhadov?s two representatives, Ilyas Akhmadov and Akhmed Zakayev, Lavrov said Britain and the United States should stop what he called their separatist propaganda.