Rice meets opposition heavyweights in Moscow

By Sue Pleming

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Seeking ways to open Russia's Kremlin-dominated political system, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met civil society leaders and Kremlin opponents on Tuesday.

"I am very much looking forward to your thoughts about the political situation here... and what the United States can do to make this a more open and participatory political system", Rice told participants before the breakfast meeting.

Guests included leaders of Russia's shrunken and embattled political opposition, who have lost representation in parliament and score only a few percentage points in opinion polls. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also attended the breakfast.

Rice has repeatedly said there is too much power concentrated in the Kremlin and that outgoing President Vladimir Putin's government has rolled back democratic freedoms.

Putin is by far Russia's most popular politician, regularly scoring over 70 percent in opinion polls, though pollsters say skewed media coverage on state-run television and a lack of serious opponents flatter his ratings.

Asked whether she expected Russia to be angered by her meetings with civil society leaders and NGOs, Rice said: "I think it is expected."

Among those invited to the U.S. embassy residence for the meeting were Grigory Yavlinsky, head of the social democratic Yabloko party, and Vladimir Ryzhkov, an independent who lost his seat in the State Duma (parliament) last year.

However, the most ardent Putin critics whose presence could irk the Kremlin -- former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov and ex-world chess champion Garry Kasparov -- were not present.