Brussels, 08/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - Just three weeks away from the EU-Russia summit on 26 October in Mafra (Portugal), the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has announced that he will again be asking Russian president, Vladimir Putin, about the situation regarding democracy and human rights in the latter's country. He will also express his incomprehension as to why the Russian authorities have been unable to find the assassin of the journalist Anna Politkovskaïa. In an interview with the Belgian daily, De Standaard, on 6 October, Barroso declared: “the quality of our relations (Ed: EU-Russia) will depend on the quality of democracy in Russia. I am not looking for confrontation but I do not understand why a country with such police powers is unable to shed light on the murder of a journalist”. Barroso announced: “During our last summit in Samara, I, together with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel (Ed: who was in the presidency of the EU at that time), gave our opinion to President Putin” about democratic shortcomings. Mr Barroso announce: “In Mafra I will do the same thing. Our position is still the same”. (hb)