Poland, Latvia and Estonia are pushing for EU sanctions against Russia over its crisis with Georgia, but the French EU presidency said the issue will not be decided at the emergency Brussels summit on Monday. At a snap meeting in the Estonian capital Tallinn on Thursday, ahead of the European Union's summit on the crisis in Georgia, the leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Poland called for humanitarian aid and international observers to prevent the Caucasus conflict from being reignited on the ground. "Georgia requires Europe's support in order to recover from the destruction of the war, which in the short term means extensive humanitarian aid for relieving the problems of war refugees as well as those who have lost their homes," the presidents of the two Baltic countries and Poland said in a the joint statement.
At a snap meeting in the Estonian capital Tallinn on Thursday, ahead of the European Union's summit on the crisis in Georgia, the leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Poland called for humanitarian aid and international observers to prevent the Caucasus conflict from being reignited on the ground.
"Georgia requires Europe's support in order to recover from the destruction of the war, which in the short term means extensive humanitarian aid for relieving the problems of war refugees as well as those who have lost their homes," the presidents of the two Baltic countries and Poland said in a the joint statement.
An emergency EU meeting Monday in Brussels on how to respond to Russia's recognition of the Georgian breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia could be instrumental in confirming the EU as a force for peace. With the United States taking a diplomatic back seat on the crisis and the swift reaction by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, acting as EU president, Monday's summit has become the union's first opportunity to broker a solution to a major international conflict on its own. But the opportunity is mined with potential pitfalls and risks, not least of which is the traditional EU dilemma of getting a group of 27 nations to agree on a common policy. And because the policy involves Russia, the potential for disagreement is enormous.
With the United States taking a diplomatic back seat on the crisis and the swift reaction by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, acting as EU president, Monday's summit has become the union's first opportunity to broker a solution to a major international conflict on its own.
But the opportunity is mined with potential pitfalls and risks, not least of which is the traditional EU dilemma of getting a group of 27 nations to agree on a common policy. And because the policy involves Russia, the potential for disagreement is enormous.
The emergency European summit called to tackle the Georgian crisis and forge a common European position on the issue is itself causing divisions - but over who gets to go to the extraordinary meeting of EU leaders. The Polish prime minister and president are scrapping over who gets to attend the meeting, while the decision by the Finnish president to go has pushed aside the country's foreign minister, Alexander Stubb, who is also the current chair of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). EU leaders to meet in Brussels on Monday 1 September Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic, although there is no tussle over who gets to attend, President Vaclav Klaus nonetheless has an opposing view to his prime minister, Mirek Topolánek, as to who is responsible for the Georgian conflict. Conservative Polish president Lech Kaczynski has demanded he be the one to head to Brussels for the summit, rather than the more liberal prime minister, Donald Tusk.
The emergency European summit called to tackle the Georgian crisis and forge a common European position on the issue is itself causing divisions - but over who gets to go to the extraordinary meeting of EU leaders.
The Polish prime minister and president are scrapping over who gets to attend the meeting, while the decision by the Finnish president to go has pushed aside the country's foreign minister, Alexander Stubb, who is also the current chair of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
EU leaders to meet in Brussels on Monday 1 September
Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic, although there is no tussle over who gets to attend, President Vaclav Klaus nonetheless has an opposing view to his prime minister, Mirek Topolánek, as to who is responsible for the Georgian conflict.
Conservative Polish president Lech Kaczynski has demanded he be the one to head to Brussels for the summit, rather than the more liberal prime minister, Donald Tusk.
Is there some prize for ratio of disingenuous half-truths v adjacent advertising lies that these writers have to follow? Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
