US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has again expressed concern about Russia's slow pace of democratic reform, and promised that Washington would help key ally Poland modernise its army

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has again expressed concern about Russia's slow pace of democratic reform, and promised that Washington would help key ally Poland modernise its army. Dr Rice was in Warsaw on the third stop of an eight-nation tour of Europe before going on to Ankara, where she was to meet Turkish officials and have a working dinner with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The chief US diplomat said Russia and the United States were cooperating well on many issues, including terrorism and the war in Afghanistan, but said "it is no secret we have had concerns about some of the developments in Russia." "It is important that Russia makes clear to the world that it is intent on strengthening the rule of law, strengthening the role of an independent judiciary, and committed to a free and independent press," Dr Rice added. Dr Rice said that an effort by President Vladimir Putin's government to speed the transition from a totalitarian to a democratic administration would "put further substance into a deepened relationship with the democracies of Europe and indeed the United States." She was speaking at a joint news conference with Polish Foreign Minister Adam Rotfeld before going into talks with Prime Minister Marek Belka. Her tour of eight European capitals, Israel and the West Bank aims partly to lay the groundwork for US President George W Bush's visit to Europe from February 21-25. In Warsaw she also discussed Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski's planned February 9-10 visit to the United States, as well as Poland's role in Iraq, where it has 2,400 troops in the south of the country.