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Estonian consulate says work resumes in Moscow-1

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The Estonian embassy's consular service in Moscow resumed work Friday following an end to a siege of the building by protestors, an embassy officer said.
MOSCOW, May 4 (RIA Novosti) - The Estonian embassy's consular service in Moscow resumed work Friday following an end to a siege of the building by protestors, an embassy officer said.

"The consular department resumed work in full Friday," Franek Persidski said, adding people had already begun arriving for visas.

He said the embassy would monitor the situation and "take appropriate measures" if it worsened.

Russian youth movements Nashi (Ours), Young Guards, Locals and Young Russia besieged the Estonian Embassy last week following Estonia's actions to remove a WWII monument from central Tallinn. The embassy later suspended work for security reasons, and the siege was stopped after Ambassador Marina Kaljurand left on a vacation Thursday.

In an interview Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov criticized the youth protests Friday. "Our response to Estonia's actions should be appropriate and balanced," he said. "The reaction should be that of a powerful country, not hooligan attempts that do little to improve our image."

Latest reports said about 30 people started an authorized meeting at the embassy at 12:00 p.m. Friday. The demonstrators are holding banners against fascism in Estonia and actions by local authorities.

Reinforced security and riot police units are monitoring the situation at the scene, which has so far remained calm. No Nashi activists are taking part in the demonstration.

Meanwhile, Estonia has promised to look into violations over the recent detention of protestors in Tallinn following the removal of the Bronze Soldier. During the protests Estonian police arrested about 1,200 people and said 54 were still in custody. Among those detained are 21 Estonians, 21 stateless people, a Lithuanian national, a Russian citizen and two unidentified people.

A Russian delegation that has just returned from Tallinn said it insisted that Estonian authorities focus on the death of a Russian, Dmitry Ganin.

The Bronze Soldier, which was moved to a military cemetery April 30, is becoming a popular tourist site, the Estonian media said referring to Finland's Ilta-Sanomat newspaper. Foreign tourists, mostly Finns, have been arriving in Tallinn to see the famous monument and have their pictures taken against its background.

The exhumation work on the former site of the monument, where the remains of 12 bodies have already been located, is continuing. Local authorities said all the remains will be reburied late in June.

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