27 January 2004	Tuesday	04 Zilhaj 1424

MOSCOW, Jan 26: US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday he was worried about Russia's democracy in unusually blunt comments that underscored widespread concerns the Kremlin is turning increasingly autocratic.

In a front-page article published in major Russian daily Izvestia, he said Russian politics were not sufficiently subject to the rule of law and made clear there were limits to the US-Russian relationship without shared values.

He also challenged Russia's policy in Chechnya, where Moscow is waging a brutal campaign against guerillas. And, without citing any by name, he questioned recently assertive dealings with nations like Moldova, Ukraine and particularly Georgia, where Moscow has yet to close two military bases.

While couched in diplomatic terms, Powell's comments were unusually direct from a US administration that has worked closely with Moscow in the US-led war on terrorism and has cooperated on regional issues from North Korea to Iran.

"Certain developments in Russian politics and foreign policy in recent months have given us pause," he wrote at the start of a two-day visit to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.

US officials are troubled by the October arrest of oil magnate Michael Khodorkovsky and December elections that all but swept liberal parties from parliament after a campaign critics say was tainted by biased coverage from state-owned media.

Still, Washington has been at pains to promote relations with Russia even in the face of the Kremlin refusal to back its invasion of Iraq and fears that its commitment to a market economy and democracy may be stumbling.

Relations between President George W. Bush and Putin have warmed by the year, but Putin's critics say the Kremlin is turning more authoritarian. "Russia's democratic system seems not yet to have found the essential balance among the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government," Powell wrote. "Political power is not yet fully tethered to law." "Without basic principles shared in common, our relationship will not achieve its potential."

RE-ELECTION: Powell, who held lengthy talks with Putin and Ivanov, later said he was not meddling in Russian affairs. "As far as I am concerned, it wasn't in any way an attempt on my part to interfere in (the) internal dynamics of Russian political life. It was one friend speaking to another," Powell told a joint news conference with Ivanov.

The Russian foreign minister was equally keen to show no offence was taken, saying he hoped Washington's doubts had been dispelled and that "even the most difficult issues were discussed in a constructive atmosphere of openness".

Powell expressed his concerns as Putin prepares for almost certain election to a second four-year term in March, his opponents either unwilling to challenge him directly or unable to muster enough support to pose a threat.-Reuters