"Urdur Gunnarsdottir, spokeswoman for the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, said the terms suggested in the Russian letter were unprecedented.

"We have to consider its implications," she told the BBC News website.

Ms Gunnarsdottir quoted the letter as saying Moscow was "ready for a dialogue on the composition of the mission".

She said the letter from the Central Election Commission in Moscow also suggested that the OSCE delegation "could comprise up to 70 persons" - far short of the 465 sent to Russia's last parliamentary elections four years ago.

December's elections are expected to deliver victory to parties loyal to President Vladimir Putin."

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