Putin open to dialogue with opposition

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said he's open to dialogue with the opposition but rejected protesters' calls for a rerun of parliamentary elections. Putin said Wednesday he would speak with opposition politicians, including opponents who are to run against him in the March presidential election, but he didn't provide specifics, RIA Novosti reported. "Dialogue should be held, but in which form I will think about," he said. Putin did not say whether he would participate in televised debates before the presidential election. He rejected calls for new parliamentary elections and liberal reforms. "We have never been against dialogue with the opposition," Putin said, but "any signs of extremism … should be severely suppressed." Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets, claiming the Dec. 4 elections that gave Putin's ruling United Russia party a majority in the lower house of parliament were rigged. Putin said Tuesday the elections were fair. He said the opposition lacks a "common platform" and is "always demanding the impossible and then, as a rule, does nothing to fulfill it."