EU leaders have decided to delay until next month a decision on the future of the bloc's relations with Russia, which have hit an all-time low in the wake of the Russian-Georgian conflict. France, with the backing of most of Europe's old guard, had hoped to use a summit in Brussels to revive EU-Russia partnership talks suspended last month. But Britain, Sweden, and most of the bloc's newest members have argued that Moscow has not done enough to allay EU concerns in Georgia.
Poland, Sweden, and three ex-Soviet Baltic states have led resistance to any quick thaw with Moscow, and Britain has also said the EU should make sure Russia is fully abiding by an EU-brokered cease-fire agreement before resuming negotiations.
International negotiations in Geneva designed to build confidence between Russia and Georgia have broken down over Moscow's demand that representatives from the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia be allowed to participate fully.
Since a Western audit found unforeseen energy resources in Turkmenistan, all eyes are now turning to pipeline projects like White Stream. The only obstacle is Russia, which doesn't look kindly on being left out of the loop.
THE HAGUE (Reuters) -- The UN's highest court has ordered Russia and Georgia to ensure the security of all ethnic groups in the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and adjacent areas of Georgia.
The two-day EU summit opening in Brussels will be preoccupied by the financial crisis that has engulfed the world since mid-September. In recent weeks, various EU governments have announced rescue plans for the banking sector that the bloc is seeking to coordinate. Other summit highlights include Georgia and Russia issues, the EU's constitutional woes, and climate change.
Talks between Russia and Georgia over two breakaway Georgian regions have been suspended until next month after "procedural difficulties," the European Union's special envoy for Georgia has said.
Questions about whether Russia has fully complied with cease-fire agreements in Georgia will be discussed at talks starting this week in Geneva, the U.S. State Department has said.
Russia has not withdrawn its troops from Georgia. It has not, as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev claimed on October 9, "fulfilled all obligations." And it has certainly not honored an EU-backed cease-fire deal to end hostilities between Moscow and Tbilisi.
France's top human rights official, Rama Yade, recently spoke to RFE/RL correspondent Claire Bigg about the humanitarian crisis in Georgia, this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, and her recent visit to Afghanistan.
The United States will join the talks Russia and Georgia are holding on October 15 following their war in August, diplomats say.
U.S. President George W. Bush has warned that Moscow would not gain the trust of the international community unless it agrees to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors.
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