Brussels: EU says Georgia must not be broken up

Brussels, Feb 27: The European Union said that Georgia must not be broken up, rejecting arguments by Russian-backed separatists that moves to grant independence to Kosovo would set a precedent for their demands.

Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia said this month they would press their demands for independence if Serbia's Kosovo province wins sovereignty under new UN-backed arrangements.

Speaking afters talks with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the EU saw its ties with the former Soviet republic as vital.

''We would like to insist also on the importance we attach ... (to) the territorial integrity of Georgia,'' he told a news briefing yesterday. ''Georgia will have also all our support and if we can be of any help we will play that role.'' Asked whether the European Union was willing to replace Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Solana said this had been discussed in the talks with Saakashvili.

''I would like to say clearly we are ready to help in whatever missions are necessary as long as a clear objective can be achieved.'' South Ossetia and Abkhazia are de facto independent from Georgia but want international recognition. Saakashvili said the rebel areas were artificially staffed and sustained by Moscow after expelling most of the local population.

He thanked Solana for his ''strong and unequivocal'' support for Georgia's territorial integrity. ''This is important to underline because we live in a turbulent period,'' he said.

Rhetoric:

Asked later at a panel discussion with Estonian President Toomas Ilves and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt about concern in some EU countries that Georgia was provoking Russia, Saakashvili said: ''Some people are provoked by the mere fact of wanting to be independent and have territorial integrity.'' He said he was pleased that the rhetoric with Russia had subsided lately after Moscow imposed a virtual trade and transport embargo on his country last year and stressed Georgia had no interest in bad relations with Russia.

Saakashvili said he expected Georgia to be invited to join NATO's Membership Action Plan, the next rung on the ladder to eventual membership of the US-led defence alliance, later this year or in 2008.

Moscow is fiercely opposed to Georgian NATO membership.

Saakashvili said Georgia's economy had gained from the Russian boycott. Growth continued to flourish, alternative gas supplies had been secured and flights from Europe had increased as Russian travellers transited via Kiev or Vienna.

Tbilisi was now in talks with Russia on restoring flights and the president said he was optimistic about the outcome.

The EU and Russia differ on how best to bring lasting peace to such so-called frozen conflicts. Brussels puts the emphasis on territorial integrity while Moscow stresses the separatists' right to self-determination.

Earlier this month Russia warned the European Union not to tread on its toes in ex-Soviet areas that Moscow regards as being within its sphere of influence.

Russia, which has close ties with Serbia, is opposed to a UN plan backed by the European Union that would set the ethnic Albanian-dominated Kosovo region on a path to statehood.

Moscow and Brussels are also at odds over energy supplies and trade. A row with Poland over meat imports has halted the start of negotiations on an EU-Russia partnership pact.

Reuters