UK News
Brown demands 'root and branch' review of EU-Russia relations
Aug 31, 2008, 13:52 GMT
A file picture dated 20 July 2008 shows British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
London/Moscow - The European Union, due Monday to hold an emergency meeting on events in Georgia, should make a 'root and branch' review of its relations with Russia, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in a newspaper article published Sunday.
His remarks came amid further pre-summit diplomatic moves which included contact between German and Polish leaders, and a dismissal by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of accusations against Russia.
Writing in The Observer, Brown said Moscow's 'hostile action towards Georgia' raised two urgent questions: How best to stabilise Georgia now, 'and how to make it clear to Russia that its unilateral approach is dangerous and unacceptable.'
Brown said that in a telephone talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday, 'I told him to expect a determined European response.'
Brown said his message to Russia was simple: 'If you want to be welcome at the top table of organisations such as the G8, OECD and WTO, you must accept that with rights come responsibilities.'
The EU summit 'should review - root and branch - our relationship with Russia. We should continue to strengthen the transatlantic relationship and may need to meet more regularly as the G7, 'Brown said.
'We are also reflecting on the NATO response. We must re-evaluate the alliance's relationship with Russia, and intensify our support to Georgia and others who may face Russian aggression.'
Speaking in Vladivostok, Putin Sunday insisted that 'the truth is on our side - we are acting within international law.'
Interviewed by the Vesti television channel, Putin said: 'Emotions are running high, and we cannot ascertain any practical step that would indicate any cooling down.'
In Warsaw, Poland's PAP news agency reported that President Lech Kaczynski and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had a half-hour telephone discussion Sunday in which they backed implementation of the six-point EU agreement brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
This includes the immediate removal of Russian checkpoints on Georgian territory, pullback of Russian forces to pre-conflict positionsand international discussions on the modalities of security and stability of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Medvedev said Saturday that he stressed in his telephone talk with Brown that Moscow wants a 'constructive dialogue' with the European Union irrespective of the Georgia conflict.
Russia welcomed the deployment of Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observers in the conflict regions of Georgia, Interfax news agency quoted him as telling Brown.
He also renewed Russian accusations that the Georgian leadership under President Mikheil Saakashvili was responsible for the southern Caucasus conflict.
It was 'aggression' from Tbilisi towards its separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhasia that had made it impossible for these regions to live in peace within Georgia.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
brown brown you name is brown your nose is brown your ass is brown .brown brown your brown all over.
The UK is a weak little bitch. Their own media refers to it as America's poodle. Besides the UK is a weak union of little countries who want independence. So whatever a so-called UK premier has to say is of NO importance.
There are soooo many traitors working to undermine Britain with islamic influences I dont know if any govt leader is actually trying to protect that nation any longer.
I dont think even Churchill could change it if he were alive.
Cromwell with 6 solid army divisions would be just a start.
russia is wrong on few fronts. first they had a right to go in to defend it's citizens but they didn't have a right to destroy georgia's infastructure, the destruction there is devistating. that's not truely protecting or being a policing force. that's having hostile intent. the usa for which putin is excessively and dangously jeolousy, which could ruin his country not from usa but the rest of the civilized world, would never have destoyed iraq's infrastructure intentionally, for which it's paying to rebuild the accidents of conflict.russia doesn,t have the ball to even save face. russia use the us as an escape goat for their own insecurities. it's easy to blame the us but the people you really affect and the ones that will affect russia are your neighbor. and you've failed to have a truely open & building relationship with these countries. and these countries will be the ones that make or break russia's stance with the world. it's easy to blame usa. and for this missile defense shield, if russia wouldn't have given iran nuclear technologies then us wouldn't be anywhere near russia now. so russia should really think of the consequences for it's action because their (putins) action are only hurting them globally,
NOW is the time to cripple the Russian bear. NOW!
The UN is gonna play with their balls forever. NATO is scared shitless. The US reroutes its vessels to safer ports and delivers a few tons of bullshit.
Am I the only one who wants to stand up to these stinking, lying animals?
Spitfire
Ok spitfire,pack your suitcase and bye bye ,off to kindergarten with you ,or the psychiatric ward,whatever....
To: to sp4
Why soooo... prejudiced against the color brown...brown...brown?
Brown is in deep trouble at home, the economy is faltering, house prices have collapsed, he is facing rebellion within his party he has become the most unpopular PM within living memory so all this sabre rattling is just a diversion to try to provoke a crisis to take attention from efforts at home.
If he is concerned about one country invading another he should reflect what his government did in Iran and Afghanistan.
His pathetic excuse is that he is protecting the UK from terrorism but his insane immigration policies have ment that we no longer need terrorists in Afganistan because we have plenty of home grown muslims that are willing to murder UK citizens. But he is in denial about that as well.
page: 1
SP4: oh sure GordonAug 31st, 2008 - 15:53:10
..what kind of message did you send them in Basra?
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