EU-ministers zetten in op coherenter Rusland-beleid (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Following an outburst from the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Russian attempts to exploit differences between EU members, the Union is to put its Moscow policy on paper.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels yesterday to discuss the outcome of a recent EU-Russia summit decided that its voice needs to be more coherent, and as such is going to commit key guidelines to paper.

At the meeting Franco Frattini, the Italian Foreign Minister, received what diplomats described as unprecedented criticism for his Prime Minister's apparent backing of the war in Chechnya.

At a press conference to mark the end of the most recent EU-Russia summit, in Rome, Mr Berlusconi, who currently heads the EU's rotating presidency, caused outrage by openly backing the Russian government's actions in the breakaway region.

"In Chechnya, there has been terrorist activity that has produced many attacks against Russian citizens and there has never been an equivalent response from the Russian Federation", he said.

Before that the EU had continuously lambasted Russia for its actions in Chechnya and its human rights record there.

The summit was widely seen as a failure from the EU's point of view, with the Union making little progress on some key issues such as Chechnya, Russia's ratification of the Kyoto protocol and a deal on signing a readmission agreement with the country.

This prompted the External Relations commissioner, Chris Patten to call on the EU to draft a closer position ahead of such meetings.

Shrewd operators

For its part Russia has been shrewd in exploiting the EU's lack of coherence, even asking to be met by all the 25 EU foreign ministers at summits, instead of the usual troika representing the Commission, the Presidency and the Council.

Meanwhile Moscow continues to play one member state off against each other.

Yesterday, government representatives were in Helsinki expressing dissatisfaction at Finland's lack of enthusiasm for plans to exempt Russians from EU visa requirements - a key goal for Moscow that has received a lukewarm response from Brussels.

During Monday's visit to Helsinki, which included a meeting with his Finnish counterpart, the Russian Premier Mikhail Kasyanov tried to get Finland on side.

"Finland is in a key position in EU-Russia relations. The talk that I have had today with premier Vanhanen has increased my hopes that Finland will be an active player in the future when Russia and the EU are going to extend cooperation", he said according to Hufvudstadsbladet.