France says may call EU Council on Georgia

France will call an extraordinary meeting of the European Council to discuss a response if Russia does not withdraw its forces in Georgia rapidly, President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a newspaper article on Sunday.

"This withdrawal must be implemented without delay," Sarkozy said in the article, published on the web site of the daily Le Figaro. "This point is not negotiable in my view."

Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, repeated that all conditions of the French-brokered ceasefire deal Russia has signed with Georgia had to be met.

"This must cover all Russian forces that have entered Georgia since Aug. 7. If this clause of the ceasefire accord is not applied rapidly and totally, I would summon an extraordinary European Council to decide what consequences to draw."

The European Council is made up of the leaders of EU member states and the president of the European Commission.

Earlier on Sunday, Sarkozy told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in a telephone call that there would be "serious consequences" for Russia's relations with the EU if its forces do not pull out of Georgia as agreed.

Russian troops remained in position around the town of Gori on Sunday but the Kremlin has said it would begin its withdrawal on Monday.

Sarkozy avoided blaming one side for the crisis, which he said came after weeks of skirmishing near South Ossetia and involved a "rash military intervention" by Georgia followed by a "brutal and disproportionate response" by Russian forces.

He said the international community would have to bring humanitarian aid to refugees and people displaced by fighting.

"We must also determine if the intervention by Russia against its Georgian neighbour turns out to be a brutal and excessive response, in this one instance, or if it inaugurates a new hardening by Moscow towards its neighbours and the entire international community, which would inevitably have consequences for its relations with the European Union."