Lithuania, Poland want EU-Russia talks delayed

The Presidents of Poland and Lithuania said yesterday that the European Union should delay resuming talks with Russia on a new partnership pact until all Russian forces had left Georgia.

The statement from Lithuania and Poland, staunch allies of Georgia, showed the tough talks awaiting the EU as it decides whether or not to re-launch the talks with Russia, frozen after its August conflict with Georgia.

"We reiterate that under the continued occupation of Georgian territories it would be too early to resume talks on a new partnership agreement with Russia," said Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

They added in a statement that the conclusions of a September 1 EU summit, which froze the partnership talks, had to be kept to.

"... and we underline that negotiations on the EU and Russia agreement should be renewed only when Russia withdraws its troops from Georgia to the positions held prior to August 7," they added.

Showing the divergent EU views, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said last week that the EU would discuss resuming partnership talks with Moscow at an EU-Russia summit on November 13-14.

"They will fix a schedule at that date for advancing the partnership agreement," Mr Kouchner said during a visit to the Russian city of St Petersburg on October 28.

Plans for a broad agreement, a blueprint for long-term relations between Moscow and Brussels, were put on hold after Russia's armed intervention into Georgia. Russia's five-day war with Georgia in August began when Georgia sent troops and tanks to retake the pro-Russian rebel region of South Ossetia.

Russia launched a powerful counter-strike that drove the Georgian army out of South Ossetia. Moscow then recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another of Georgia's rebel regions, as independent states.

Russia has said it will station 7,600 troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. It says they will be deployed at the request of the separatist authorities to protect them from any Georgian attacks.

The Polish and Lithuanian presidents said observers from the EU and the OSCE security organisation had to be allowed into the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.