BRUSSELS - The European Commission warned Thursday against an upsurge of violence in Chechnya after the killing of rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov.
Speaking as Chechen rebels announced a little-known religious leader as a successor to Maskhadov, the European Union (EU)'s executive arm reiterated its support for Moscow in finding a political solution to the Chechen conflict.
"We'd like to see that this does not escalate, that all parties have a restrained approach to the conflict," said spokesman Amadeu Altafaj.
"We are working with the Russian authorities, we have close cooperation with them, to support all the efforts to end this conflict through political dialogue," he added.
Maskhadov, a 53-year-old moderate chief of the Chechen separatists, was reported killed by Russian forces on Tuesday in a village north of Chechnya's capital Grozny.
On Thursday Chechen rebels announced his successor as Abdul-Khalim Saidullayev, a little-known personality whom Maskhadov chose as his successor two years ago.
The EU commission meanwhile said it had no view on the appeal by Maskhadov's family for his family to returned by Russian authorities in the separatist Muslim republic.
"We have no particular position concerning that demand," said the spokesman.
On Wednesday the EU commission had urged Moscow to respect human rights, adding that it was seeking "clarifications" about the circumstances surrounding Maskhadov's killing.
03/10/2005 12:34 GMT