September 7, 1999
Web posted at: 12:42 p.m. EDT (1642 GMT)

MOSCOW (CNN) -- A high-level Russian delegation will travel to Washington soon to help U.S. officials investigating an alleged money-laundering operation through the Bank of New York, U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos told reporters in the Russian capital.

The California Democrat is in Moscow on a private visit.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov gave a list of the Russian officials slated to travel to the United States to U.S. Ambassador to Russia James Collins at a meeting on Tuesday.

Lantos said that the people on the list "are the right people" and that the Russians have apparently decided to cooperate.

The decision to send the officials came in response to a U.S. request that the Russians send a "high-level, but working delegation to Washington," he said.

Lantos told Ivanov the U.S. investigation into the Bank of New York's operations and the alleged misuse of International Monetary Fund money is "not an anti-Russian conspiracy by the American government to deprive the Russian government of foreign aid."

Last week, Ivanov said that the allegations against Russia amounted to "slander" and were meant to undermine Russian business worldwide.

Lantos said that hearings on corruption in Russia are to begin next week in the House Government Reform Committee.

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