Speaking to the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, which had convened for an extraordinary session, Georgia's Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili accused Russia of "cheating" because it has shown no real sign of withdrawing its troops as had been agreed in the truce deal struck by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The deadline set for full withdrawal is tomorrow (22 August).
Reports from observers yesterday confirmed her remarks, saying Russia's troops were only partly withdrawing, while at the same they had seized other strategic spots and were maintaining a full blockade of Georgia's ports.
Close to tears, Tkeshelashvili also reported "ongoing executions and persecutions" by Russian forces, which she accused of "ethnic cleansing". Russia is clearly pursuing an "imperialist" policy aimed at destabilising Georgia and "reincarnating the lines of Europe and Russia's spheres of influence," she said.
EU-Russia partnership talks on hold?
A clear majority of MEPs - and particularly those from Eastern European countries which lived under Soviet occupation for more than 40 years - shared this position, calling for full solidarity with Georgia and a strong response towards Russia. They called for due consideration to be given to the possibility of putting talks on a new bilateral partnership agreement with Russia on hold if the latter does not live up to its commitments and withdraw its troops by the 22 August deadline.
Only a few parliamentarians, like German Socialist Klaus Hänsch, took a more balanced approach. He reminded colleagues that notwithstanding the "disproportionate" Russian response, the initial attack was launched by Georgia.
EU peacekeepers to replace Russian forces?
However, most MEPs responded positively to Tkeshelashvili's desire to see an EU peacekeeping force in South Ossetia, which should replace Russian troops. According to Tkeshelashvili, although Russian forces are only dressed as peacekeepers, they "undoubtedly have different intentions".
Asked whether she could envisage Russian approval of such a European force, she replied that Russia had "no legal or moral argument to obstruct a peacekeeping force on Georgian ground. Georgia is a sovereign state". The Foreign Affairs Committee is working on a resolution to be presented during the next plenary on 1 September and which should address this issue, its chairman Jacek Saryusz-Wolski declared after the meeting.
Meanwhile, Russia announced a freezing of all contact with NATO in response to the alliance's decision to suspend all political talks the day before (EurActiv 20/08/08).
Russia also put forward its own resolution for the situation in Georgia at the UN Security Council to counter the one introduced by France a day earlier. The US and European members of the council immediately rejected the draft, as it did not contain a reference to Georgia's territorial integrity.
