(BRUSSELS) - European relief aid teams do not still have access to the rebel Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, a humanitarian aid expert at the European Commission said Wednesday.

"Despite all our efforts to gain access to South Ossetia, none of our partners nor ourselves have been able to enter so far," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Only the International Committee of the Red Cross and Human Rights Watch have been able to enter," he said, referring to the Geneva-based organisation and a rights watchdog headquartered in New York.

He said that the rest of Georgia was accessible except for Abkhazia and the security zone around South Ossetia, where some relief organisations were operating despite difficult access.

European officials had "approached Russia authorities" seeking access to the regions, but the Russians had demanded that the aid be given to them to distribute.

He said that such an arrangement was "not satisfactory for us because we want to give independent and neutral aid" and that "we also don't want to have to be on the ground accompanied by Russian authorities."

The European Union has already mobilised six million euros (8.8 million dollars) in aid for Georgia so far.

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