MOSCOW, Feb 11 (AFP) - The United States will support the development of civil society in Russia through non-governmental organizations to help promote democracy, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview published here Friday.
"We are concerned at the situation in Russia. The deepening of relations founded on common values needs to be based on the development of democracy in Russia," she said in an interview with the Interfax news agency published by Kommersant daily.
"We are looking for any ways to support and strengthen civil society in Russia. And supporting civil society through non-governmental organizations is one of the ways we can help Russia to ensure a more democratic future," she said.
Russian authorities have accused the United States of supporting the opposition in Georgia and Ukraine -- where mass protests dislodged pro-Moscow regimes in 2003 and late 2004 in favour of pro-Western leaders.
And Moscow has expressed concern about similar attempts to foment "people power" revolutions in Russia and other Soviet republics.
02/11/2005 09:45 GMT - AFP