Russia firm as EU begins Georgia mission
GORI, Georgia (AP) -- European Union monitors began patrolling Georgian territory Wednesday under a French-brokered peace deal, facing a Russian military that seemed reluctant to retreat.
The Russian peacekeeping forces said a day earlier they will not immediately allow any of the 300 EU monitors to enter a buffer zone surrounding the separatist South Ossetia region. The statement raised a fresh concern that Moscow was stalling on compliance with a cease-fire agreement reached after the August war with Georgia.
But when a group of EU observers arrived at a Russian checkpoint near the village of Kvenatkotsa at the perimeter of Russia's so-called "security zone" on Georgian territory, Russians quickly let them enter the area.
The Russian soldiers didn't allow reporters to follow the observers into the buffer zone, but let Georgian civilians pass after examining their vehicles. A small white dog barked at passing cars, and a handful of Russian troops at the checkpoint looked relaxed.
"The situation is very calm," Ivan Kukushkin, a Russian officer in charge of the checkpoint said.
Another group of EU monitors also visited the village of Odisi in a different sector just outside South Ossetia.
EU mission head Hansjoerg Haber told reporters the Russian military had earlier warned the EU monitors from entering the buffer zone, citing concerns for their security.
"We received different signals," Haber told reporters. "We want to clarify these differences in the coming hours."
Russia and Georgia agreed to the EU observer mission as part of an updated cease-fire plan following the war, which ended with Russian and separatist forces in control of the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russian troops also remained deep inside Georgia for weeks.
As part of the deal, Moscow agreed to withdraw its forces completely from territories outside of South Ossetia and Abkhazia within 10 days of the EU monitors' deployment Wednesday -- including from a roughly 4-mile (7-kilometer) buffer zone they have created southward from South Ossetia's edge.
Russia still plans to keep around 7,600 troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and has refused to allow EU monitors inside the regions themselves.
But the Russian peacekeeping forces' statement said, as of Wednesday, the EU monitoring will take place only "up to the southern border of the security zone" pending further consultations.
"Show the flag, be friendly, show confidence," Haber told monitors near Lake Basaleti, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
The EU observers will be based in four semi-permanent locations, including the central city of Gori near South Ossetia and the Black Sea port of Poti, key targets of Russian forces.
In Gori, another group of EU monitors boarded their light armored vehicles to head toward the buffer zone outside South Ossetia.
One observer, Adam Glinsky, a 43-year old Polish policeman, downplayed Russia's warning not to enter the buffer zone. "It's only yesterday's opinion, hopefully tomorrow it will be different," he said.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who visited Georgia on Tuesday, expressed optimism that Moscow would pull its troops back in the promised time frame.
"I am optimistic that all parties will comply with the agreement that was signed," Solana said. "We hope very much and we are sure that before October 10 that part of the mission will be completed."
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili skirted questions about EU access at a news conference Tuesday. He stressed that Georgia wants a complete Russian withdrawal.
"We will not be happy until the last Russian soldier gets out of my country," he told a news conference with Solana.
The war began August 7 when Georgian troops launched an offensive to regain control of South Ossetia. Russia sent troops, which quickly routed the Georgian military and pushed deep into Georgia.
Russia's continued occupation of Georgian territory and its subsequent recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia has drawn strong condemnation from the West.
Well it is about time. Im glad that someone is stepping in and "checking up" on Georgia. However if these european union monitors thinks that things are going to stay they way they are they are sadly mistaken. Once they leave Russia will just move back in and try some new scheme. And Georgia president needs to do everything in his power to make sure that he gets every last Russian out of Georgia. And the areas in which Russia is not letting the EU inspectors into I believe would not be that hard for them to get into. I think its unfair that Russia started this conflict and now Georgia will never be the same because no matter what anyone does they will always have some kind of hold over Georgia and there is nothing no one can do about that. These union ispectors just need to make sure that they inspect every area that Russians are in and they need to look into every lead because that is the only way they are really going to end this.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/10/01/georgia.monitors.russia.ap/index.html
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