Medvedev: Russia needs more political competition

MOSCOW - President Dmitry Medvedev says Russia needs stronger political competition and a greater freedom to protest.

Medvedev's statement has signaled his readiness to revise some of the policies of his predecessor and mentor Vladimir Putin. Putin rolled back Russia's post-Soviet freedoms during his eight year tenure.

Medvedev told civil society activists in remarks posted on the Kremlin Web site Thursday that many officials see non-governmental organizations such as human rights groups as a threat.

During Wednesday's meeting he called that wrong and dangerous. That put him in marked contrast with Putin who oversaw the toughening of registration rules for NGOs during his presidency.

Still, Medvedev hasn't taken any visible action to revise Putin's policy.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)