Deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey said: ''We have urged the Estonian and Russian governments to maintain dialogue and respect for the strong feelings on both sides.''
Casey also expressed concern ''about continuing reports of violence and harassment, including harassment of Estonian diplomatic personnel and premises, in Moscow.''
The Estonian Embassy in Moscow has been under siege by pro-Kremlin youth activists since the removal last week of a statue to Red Army soldiers killed in World War II, regarded in Russia as a "desecration" of their memory. The Baltic state has formerly complained of threats to the security of its diplomatic staff.
''We urge authorities in Moscow to do everything possible to reduce tensions, to carry out their responsibilities under the Vienna Convention concerning diplomatic premises and diplomats, and to avoid harsh words and escalation,'' Casey said.
Protesters have torn down a flag from the embassy building, blocked the ambassador's car at the entrance, and on Wednesday they attempted to disrupt a news conference with Ambassador Marina Kaljurand.
Estonia, a EU and NATO member since 2004, said it had been forced to close its consulate and evacuate diplomats' families from Moscow and accused Moscow of reluctance to curb the unrest and of orchestrating it.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday a police presence had been mounted near the embassy. "What is happening there is within legal frameworks and offenders have been brought to justice," Mikhail Kamynin said. Five protesters have reportedly been arrested in Moscow.
The European Union and NATO formerly backed Estonia Wednesday. They demanded Moscow comply with the Vienna Convention and said the Baltic state was within its rights to move the monument, known as the Bronze Soldier.
The Bronze Soldier and other Soviet-era monuments have been a source of diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Tallinn for years. They have also provoked clashes between the Russian-speaking minority and Estonian radicals, who view them as symbols of Soviet occupation that began in 1940 and ended when the Baltic state regained its independence in 1991.
Georgian Embassy
On Thursday, youth activists staged a brief rally near the embassy of Georgia, a former Soviet state that has expressed its support for Estonia. Young Russia group members chanted "Down with Nazism!" and said they hoped the Georgian government's "provocative statements" were not shared by ordinary Georgians.
The parliament of the small Caucasus state, also in conflict with Russia over its NATO aspirations, said it would adopt a resolution to back Estonia.
"Russia is exerting open pressure on Estonia, exercising aggression, and Georgia must declare its formal support for the country," a lawmaker said.
Attack on Russian Embassy
Russia's diplomatic mission in Sweden was attacked early Thursday by unidentified people who threw rocks at the compound, apparently in response to the blocking by protestors of a car belonging to Sweden's ambassador at the Estonian embassy in Moscow Wednesday. Stockholm has filed a formal protest.
"Unknown men threw rocks into the embassy compound, where a school and a kindergarten are located. No one was injured," a Russian diplomat said by telephone, adding that no serious damage was caused either.
Swedish police said the perpetrators damaged two cars in the compound. Police also said they had stepped up security measures, but it was unclear whether the incident was linked to protests in Moscow.
Unrest in Russia broke out following violent clashes between police and Russian speakers in Estonia, which left one dead and over 150 injured, with more than 1,000 arrested.
Exhumation
Estonia's Defense Ministry has meanwhile said it is ready to transport the remains of a Soviet soldier exhumed from the memorial near the Bronze Soldier to his home village in northern Russia, in accordance with his daughters' wishes.
Estonian authorities began the exhumation effort and closed the memorial in the run-up to VE Day celebrations May 8. They plan to rebury the remains in a military cemetery away from the bustling central square in late June.
"The daughters of Captain [Ivan] Sysoyev have not yet filed a [formal] request with the Defense Ministry. But Estonia is ready to honor such a request, and similar requests from other relatives," the ministry said, adding it would assume the transportation costs.
