By DPA,
Paris : France ruled out Monday the possibility of the European Union (EU) imposing sanctions against Russia over its military conflict with Georgia.
“We have avoided the worst, and a ceasefire has been effected, as well as a pull-out by Russian troops from Georgia,” French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told France-Inter radio Monday.
“One must deal with the issue politically, as the moment demands,” Kouchner explained.
On Sunday, French President Nicholas Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, convened an emergency EU summit on the Caucasus conflict that will be held Sep 1 in Brussels.
“This meeting will be dedicated to the Georgian crisis, mainly the position EU intends to adopt. Aid for Georgia and future relations with Russia would be discussed,” Sarkozy’s office said in a statement.
Earlier, France and the US had criticised Russia for not complying with a France-brokered ceasefire agreement with Georgia.
Russia had sent troops to Georgia after it attacked South Ossetia Aug 7 in an attempt to regain control of the breakaway region that borders Russia.
South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s. However, its independence has not been internationally recognised.