EU issues Russian troop ultimatum (Roundup)

Sep 1, 2008, 19:46 GMT

Brussels - European Union leaders fired a warning shot at Moscow on Monday by threatening to suspend talks on a deeper relationship with Russia until its troops withdrew from Georgia.

'The European Council considers that given the interdependence between the European Union and Russia, and the global problems they are facing, there is no desirable alternative to a strong relationship, based on cooperation, trust and dialogue,' EU leaders said at an emergency meeting in Brussels.

However, 'until troops have withdrawn to the positions held prior to 7 August, meetings on the negotiation of the Partnership Agreement will be postponed,' they added.

The next round of talks on a new cooperation deal with Russia are scheduled for September 15.

In the meantime, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, will head a high-level EU delegation to Moscow on Monday.

The visit will give the EU a chance to review the situation and find out whether the six-point peace plan signed by Russia and Georgia is being implemented, Sarkozy said.

Should no sign of a Russian troop withdrawal materialize by then, the EU will suspend the September 15 round of talks on a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA).

The original PCA, which came into force in 1997, is a contract drawn up between the EU and Russia governing their relationship in matters such as trade, investment, environmental protection, tourism and cultural exchanges.

The decision to suspend the talks with Russia was the result of a hard-fought compromise pitting hardliners such as Britain, Poland and the Baltics on the one side and Germany, France and Italy on the other.

Poland in particular had called for a tough response to Russia's 'disproportionate' use of force in Georgia, including the possibility of sanctions.

EU doves such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel had on the other hand stressed the need for dialogue with Moscow and thus show that the bloc can play a mediating role in the South Caucasus conflict.

The outcome of the summit was hailed as a victory by both sides.

While Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the joint statement issued in Brussels 'an important conclusion,' Merkel said EU leaders had found an 'excellent compromise.'

'Today Europe is united around the propositions put forward by the French presidency (of the EU),' Sarkozy said.

In Brussels, EU leaders said Russia's decision to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia not only violated international law, but also posed a serious threat to future EU- Russia relations.

'With the crisis in Georgia, relations between the EU and Russia have reached a crossroads,' they said.

They also urged other countries not to follow Moscow's lead. 'The European Union calls on other states not to recognise this proclaimed independence,' they said.

So far, Russia is the only country to have recognized the two regions as independent nations. And only Belarus and Venezuela have indicated that they might do the same.

However, Russia's isolation has not stopped President Dmitry Medvedev from telling the EU that Moscow's decision to recognize the breakaway Georgian enclaves was 'irrevocable.'

In an ominous sign of things to come, reports out of Berlin said Russia's Gazprom had decided to shut down its Yamal natural-gas pipeline supplying Western Europe for more than a day this week.

The announcement of the shut-down for 'routine maintenance' came within minutes of EU leaders agreeing to freeze cooperation talks with Moscow.

EU nations are largely dependent on Russia for their energy needs, and currently import about 40 per cent of their gas and some 33 per cent of their oil from Russia.

At their meeting in Brussels, EU leaders also agreed to 'contribute significantly' to the OSCE's current monitoring mission in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The bloc's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said the EU was ready to send 'hundreds' of observers to verify if Moscow is implementing the ceasefire agreement.

Apart from sending observers and providing humanitarian and reconstruction aid, the EU planned to organize a donors conference for Georgia and work on a free-trade agreement with the South Caucasus nation.

The easing of visa restrictions for Georgian nationals wishing to visit the EU was also on the cards.

'We are very encouraged by the statements of the European Union,' said Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze, in Brussels for a series of meetings with EU leaders and officials.