(BRUSSELS) - European foreign ministers on Wednesday backed calls for an international presence in Georgia after the week's bloodshed, amid demands for a new look at EU ties with an "aggressive" Russia.

The ministers, several of whom cut short their summer holidays to attend the emergency meeting, were seeking a common line on the conflict amid pressure from some, mainly eastern European member states, to rap Moscow.

Others, including France and Germany, were wary of ruining ties with a resurgent -- and energy-rich -- Russia.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of France, which holds the EU presidency, evoked the possibility of sending European "monitors" to Georgia, but refrained from speaking of a peacekeeping force.

"You call it a peace force, I don't call it that," he told reporters as he arrived for the emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers on the Russia-Georgia conflict in Brussels.

"But controllers, monitors, European facilitators, I think the Russians would accept that," he added.

A diplomatic source said the ministers would likely approve a statement welcoming the peace plan brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy overnight and backing an EU "contribution" to an international peacekeeping force.

At present Russia has an agreed peacekeeping role in the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia, where the conflict broke out.

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, whose country holds the presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said the EU would be involved "either on the side of the civilian crisis management or the side of military crisis management and peacekeeping."

His German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said the EU should play a role within the framework of the OSCE.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said "the EU should stand ready" to get involved, adding that the 27-member bloc should reassess its relations with Russia.

"The European Union should be able to address its relations with Russia at its Gymnich (EU foreign ministers' meeting) in September and through decisions about whether or not and how to proceed with the partnership and cooperation agreement," he said.

The EU and Russia opened talks last month on a sweeping new "strategic partnership" aimed at redefining ties between a bigger bloc and a more powerful, assertive Russia.

Miliband slammed Moscow's response to an offensive by the Georgian army last week to regain control of South Ossetia, the Moscow-backed region which broke away from Tbilisi in the early 1990s.

"All of the European foreign ministers I've spoken to will have been shocked by the scenes that they've seen from Georgia over the last few days," he said.

Miliband's Lithuanian counterpart Petras Vaitiekunas reflected a hardline stance in eastern Europe on Moscow's role.

"Of course some consequences must appear of the aggression" displayed by Russia in Georgia, the Lithuanian minister said.

Their attitude echoed that of the United States, which has cancelled upcoming joint military exercises with Russia, its first concrete response to the bloodshed in Georgia.

However a number of ministers said the focus on Russia's role should be put on hold in favour of more pressing issues such as immediate humanitarian aid for civilians caught in the conflict.

"I'm sure we will have a very tough discussion about EU-Russia relations in the future," Stubb said.

"The blame game and the tough talk will start at a later stage."

Steinmeier also warned against pouring more oil on the fire.

"I do not think we should get lost today in long discussions about responsibility or who caused the escalation of the last few days," he said.

Stubb was one of several EU ministers voicing doubt about the viability of the truce, under which Russia said it would halt hostilities but not draw back from its advanced positions.

"We have a ceasefire, we do not yet have peace," he added.

"These are pieces of paper," agreed Kouchner of the ceasefire agreement. The situation is "very volatile," he added.

Text and Picture Copyright 2008 AFP. All other Copyright 2008 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.