The United States said on January 12 that it will not play a role to mediate the conflict between Russia and the rebels in Chechnya, suggesting the Europeans could take the job.

Asked if the United States may be a "middle man" between the rebels in Chechnya and Moscow, State Department spokesman James Rubin told a regular briefing: "We haven't seen ourselves in that role."

However, the spokesman added that "the good offices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) can be helpful in promoting a long-term solution to this crisis."

"I don't think it's so much a lacking of a mediator or an interlocutor between the two so much as that we haven't gotten to a point where discussions have begun on a meaningful political solution. I mean, we think that's what the Russians ought to do," Rubin added.

The OSCE has been involved in the discussions between Chechens and Russians about developments in Chechnya. "So they have a past history of being able to operate there. It's more a question of will than mechanisms or procedural devices," he told reporters.

The spokesman reaffirmed that the US respect the territorial integrity of Russia including Chechnya within Russia.

But he called both sides to respect the fundamental rights of civilians in the fighting. (Xinhua)