Monday August 11, 2008

EU, NATO chief urge Russia to halt Georgia advance

By Ingrid Melander and David Brunnstrom

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission called on Russia on Monday to halt military activity on Georgian territory and NATO's secretary general accused Moscow of using excessive force.

Russia's Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin makes a statement on the situation in South Ossetia at his residence in Brussels 9 August, 2008. (REUTERS/Sebastien Pirlet)

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Moscow was trying to overthrow his government as Russian troops pushed into two separatist regions, but Moscow said it had no intention of invading.

"We call on Russia to stop immediately all military activity on Georgian territory," said European Commission spokeswoman Krisztina Nagy, adding that the EU executive wanted an immediate end to hostilities and a swift return to negotiations.

"We call on all sides to show restraint. We consider that the latest developments, such as the crossing of the Georgian border by Russian troops, change the dimension of the conflict."

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was "seriously concerned about the disproportionate use of force by the Russians and the lack of respect for the territorial integrity of Georgia", said alliance spokeswoman Carmen Romero.

"The military operations ... including air and missile attacks, have no relation to and go well beyond the CIS peacekeeping operation," she added.

EMERGENCY MEETINGS

Russia's NATO ambassador Dmitry Rogozin said Russia was seeking an emergency meeting with NATO to discuss the crisis on Tuesday, when Georgian Foreign Minister Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili will meet NATO's policy-making North Atlantic Council.

Romero said it was too early to say whether a separate meeting with the Russians would take place.

NATO angered Moscow by declaring in April that Georgia, a former part of the Soviet Union, would one day be a member.

Romero said NATO backed international mediation, based on upholding Georgia's territorial integrity, but had no mandate to play a direct role in conflicts in the Caucasus.

EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday and hear a report from French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner who is visiting Georgia for the French EU presidency.

Kouchner has proposed an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of forces to positions held before Aug. 6 with an international presence, and the respect of Georgian territorial integrity.

Poland and the Baltic states have strongly condemned Russia for what they describe as aggression in Georgia. They are wary of a resurgent Russia using its muscle to dominate neighbours, will push for a strong EU reaction and will ultimately back an EU peacekeeping force.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who left for Georgia on Monday, has also strongly condemned the Russian action, calling it aggression "incompatible with international law".

But Italy, whose Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is a close ally of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, sides with Russia, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told La Stampa.

"We cannot create an anti-Russia coalition in Europe, and on this point we are close to Putin's position," he said. "This war has pushed Georgia further away ... from Europe."

Georgian ambassador Salome Samadashvili urged the EU to take a tough stance on Russia. "They need to ... show there will be a political cost for the action in terms of the relationship of the Russian federation with its strategic partners," she said.

(Additional reporting by Paul Taylor in Brussels and bureaux)

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