Kasparov urges EU to stay firm in dealing with Putin regime

May 23, 2007, 11:27 GMT

Strasbourg - Russian opposition leader Garry Kasparov on Wednesday urged European leaders to maintain their newfound unity in the face of an increasingly assertive Russia.

EU leaders at a recent summit in Russia stressed that the Kremlin's rows with the bloc's new members in Eastern Europe were not bilateral issues but European affairs.

At a visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Kasparov warned that Russia was heading for political chaos ahead of next year's national elections.

'There is no doubt that Russia will face a severe crisis at the end of this year due to the ability of the current regime to come up with a successor to (President Vladimir) Putin,' said Kasparov.

Commenting on last week's EU-Russia summit in Samara, Kasparov commended EU leaders for maintaining their unity despite Russian criticism of the bloc's new members, many of which are former Soviet satellites.

'We see, we feel the determination of the EU to stand firm in defending the rule of law and democracy,' Kasparov told reporters, adding that the EU in Samara had 'spoken with one voice.'

He added that the EU should extend its pro-democracy policies to cover Russia and step up support for opposition groups.