WORLD> Europe
EU may review ties with Russia
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-02 07:08

BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) is likely to review its ties with Russia because of the "crisis in Georgia", even though Moscow warned the West Monday against supporting Georgia's leadership.

A five-page text, obtained by the media as EU leaders began emergency talks in Brussels, "condemned" Russia's move to recognize the independence of Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and urged other countries to avoid such a step.

It contained no references to sanctions but described relations between the 27-nation bloc and its largest energy supplier as being at a "crossroads" ahead of a long-scheduled Nov 14 meeting between European and Russian leaders in Nice, France.

"The European Council is gravely concerned by the open conflict which has broken out in Georgia, by the resulting violence and by the disproportionate reaction of Russia," the draft said. The draft statement is an attempt to bridge differences among EU members on how to treat Russia.

It said the EU was ready to consider closer ties with Georgia by making it easier for Georgians to get visas, a possible free trade deal and aid for "reconstruction" in that country.

Despite the EU pressure, Russia toughened its position on the Georgian issue, calling for an arms embargo against Georgia till a different government was formed.

"If instead of choosing their national interests and the interests of the Georgian people, the US and its allies choose the (Mikheil) Saakashvili regime, this will be a mistake of truly historic proportions," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"For a start it would be right to impose an embargo on weapons to this regime, until different authorities turn Georgia into a normal state," he said in a speech at Russia's top foreign policy graduate school.

Russia suggested, too, that US ships carrying humanitarian aid to Georgia might have also carried weapons.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said such suspicions were among the motives for Russia's call for an arms embargo against Georgia.

Addressing a news conference, he said Russia would welcome an international police presence and more Western military observers in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia. But he indicated it would be a long time before Russia would agree to reduce its military presence.

Cluster bombs

Georgia has admitted dropping cluster bombs during its attempt to regain control of South Ossetia, a human rights group said Monday.

Human Rights Watch said it had received a letter from the Georgian defense ministry acknowledging the use of M85 cluster bombs near the Roki tunnel that connects South Ossetia with Russia.

Georgia launched its ill-fated campaign to retake South Ossetia last month, prompting Russia to send troops in the breakaway region.

Agencies