Sarkozy to seek ceasefire commitments from Russia

(PARIS) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy heads for Moscow on Monday hoping to persuade the Kremlin leadership to accept a European Union observer mission in the Georgia conflict zone and a date for international talks.

Having negotiated the six point ceasefire accord that halted the Russia-Georgia war after five days last month, Sarkozy will attempt to get progress on three of those points in a meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev, his entourage said.

His mission with top EU officials has become even more crucial with Russia keeping thousands of troops inside Georgia and its breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and relations with the West at a tense post-Cold War low.

Sarkozy, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will go to the Georgian capital after the Moscow talks.

Sarkozy has a firm mandate from the 27-nation EU. An emergency EU summit on September 1 gave an order for EU negotiators to seek the full application of the ceasefire accord negotiated by Sarkozy when he went to Moscow and Tbilisi alone on August 12.

The West says that Russia is failing to follow several of the conditions.

Sarkozy's entourage said the French leader will concentrate on three of the six points during talks with Medvedev at the Russian leader's Mayendorff residence.

First is the deployment of an EU observer mission in Georgia. There is already a UN mission in Abkhazia and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is trying to set up observers in and around South Ossetia, the spark for the start of the fighting.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Avignon, France on Friday and Saturday confirmed plans for an EU mission. But Solana stressed that the deployment and its margin for manoeuvre will have to negotiated with Russia.

The French presidency said Sarkozy also wants "precise dates, mechanisms and commitments" for a Russian military withdrawal from Georgian territory outside of the breakaway regions.

Russia says it has withdrawn from Georgia in line with the ceasefire accord, but France believes there are about 1,000 troops in Georgia around South Ossetia and Abkhazia, officials said.

Sarkozy's third priority is to obtain a date for international talks on the future of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Russia has recognised as independent states -- to the fury of the West.

The French presidency said it would be progress to get dates for a Russian withdrawal and international talks. But Russia has so far shrugged off all international pressure over the Georgia war. It showed little concern after the EU summit decided to suspend talks with Moscow on a new partnership accord.

Russia wants to "enshrine" the gains it has made from the Georgia conflict, according to Thomas Gomart, a Russia specialist at the French Insistute for International Relations (IFRI).

"We should not be surprised if they do not respect the (ceasefire) accord," he added.

France has warned that the EU can, if the mission fails, resume talks on a "long list" of sanctions that could be taken against Russia, including the cancellation of an EU-Russia summit planned for November 14 in Nice, France.

Sarkozy, Barroso and Solana will go from Moscow to Tbilisi on Monday night to reaffirm their support for the pro-West government of President Mikheil Saakashhvili and report on their talks with Medvedev who has made it clear he will not deal with the Georgian leader.