The EU is ready to help Georgia if necessary, but any peacekeeping missions should have precise and achievable goals, Javier Solana said in reply to a question on whether the EU is prepared to replace Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Russian peacekeepers have been monitoring Georgia's ceasefire agreements with Abkhazia and South Ossetia since the two regions broke away from central government control in bloody wars in the early 1990s.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who swept into power on the back of the 2003 "Rose" revolution, has vowed to bring the rebellious provinces back into the fold and has consistently demanded the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers, accusing Russia of siding with the separatists and thereby undermining Georgia's territorial integrity.
Russia has repeatedly voiced serious concerns over Georgia's ongoing provocations against its peacekeepers and has insisted its peacekeeping presence in the regions has helped end bloodshed, while its withdrawal would trigger a new spiral of violence in the region, given Georgia's "bellicose" resolve to regain the regions and strong anti-Georgian sentiments there.
The issue was at the center of a bitter diplomatic dispute between Moscow and Tbilisi earlier this fall, and Georgia is still under strict economic restrictions imposed by Russia.
On October 13, the UN Security Council approved a Russian-sponsored draft resolution on Georgia, extending the Russian peacekeeping mission in the region until April 15, 2007.
Georgia has been pursuing integration with NATO, and a bill to support the bid was recently submitted to the U.S. Senate. Under the bill, Georgia will receive financial aid to join the alliance.
