Putin's Moves To Strengthen Powers Worries Washington

WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday expressed concern about moves by Russian President Vladimir Putin to strengthen his powers.
"These steps certainly raise concerns," said US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
Putin has called for a new system of selecting regional leaders that would give the Kremlin a strong role in the process. He has also toughened security in the North Caucasus and appointed a new government chief of staff after the Beslan school hostage tragedy.
Boucher said the United States would want to discuss the measures with the Russian government.
The spokesman emphasised that "we stand in solidarity with Russia in the fight against terrorism. Nothing justifies the sort of horrible terrorist actions that occurred last week in Russia."
But he added that it was important "to strike the right balance between fighting terrorism but also moving forward on democratic reforms and the democratic process.
"That is a fundamental issue that has to be faced, and one that we`ll be discussing with the Russians," he said.
The United States has joined the European Union in raising concern about the new political measures announced by Putin on Monday.