EU tevreden met vrijlating van vier Russische soldaten door Georgië (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU has welcomed Georgia's decision to hand over four Russian soldiers in a spy row that threatened to escalate into open conflict in the EU's southern neighbourhood.

"We think this is a positive step. It's the way forward that we've been working on," a spokeswoman for EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana i told EUobserver as Tbilisi announced its decision on Monday (2 October).

"Mr Solana is always ready to help in this not always easy relationship [between Russia and Georgia]," she added, after Mr Solana telephoned Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili and Russian foreign ministry officials on Sunday.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) - which will manage the handover - and US foreign secretary Condoleezza Rice - who telephoned Moscow - also played a big part in the solution, the EU spokeswoman said.

The diplomatic effort came after Russian president Vladimir Putin on Sunday called Georgia's arrest of the four soldiers "state terrorism" and indicated that Tbilisi's links with "foreign sponsors" have given it a false sense of security.

Russian troops stationed in Georgia were put on high alert with a "shoot to kill" policy if attacked, after more than a week of aggressive statements traded over the closed Russia-Georgia border.

The Georgian president has close links with Washington and is hoping to get the green light in 2007 to start the process of joining NATO, as well as to sign an "Action Plan" on closer EU integration with Brussels on 13 November 2006.

EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja flew to Georgia on Monday in a trip scheduled before the spy row to discuss the Action Plan preparations.

The so-called "trojka" visit is also due to talk about simmering tension between Georgia and its Russian-supported breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where violent skirmishes have become an almost daily occurence in the past few months.

"Countries that have chosen the European path need to maintain good relations with Russia," Ms Ferrero-Waldner's spokeswoman stated ahead of the visit.

Rocky road to west

With Russian-Georgian relations remaining strained despite Monday's events, one EU diplomat said the risk of Russia "invading" Georgia is low due to Vladimir Putin's desire to boost Moscow's standing in international structures such as the G8.

But any fresh conflict involving Georgia, Russia, Abkhazia or South Ossetia could turn into a "mini-Afghanistan" of years-long, low-level fighting that could hold back the country's progress toward NATO and EU integration.

"The EU is in a difficult position here," he said. "It's a bilateral matter and on top of this, Russia controls 25 percent of the EU's energy consumption. It's becoming the number one oil and gas sheikh in the world."