EU may pressure Russia on gas if troops stay in Georgia
Photo Bernard Kouchner
(PARIS) - The EU may seek to pressure Russia on gas imports if it does not pull its troops from Georgia, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was reported as saying Sunday on the eve of a European Union troika visit to Moscow.
"The important thing was stopping the war (in Georgia), withdrawing the troops. We'll see on September 8," Kouchner said during an interview due to be published in the September 15 edition of Newsweek.
"If (Russia's withdrawal from Georgia) isn't finished, we'll have to be more firm. One reaction could be a European gas-buying unit, meaning solidarity among consumers.
"That's a priority of the French EU presidency. We're working on it," Kouchner stated.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose nation holds the EU presidency, will meet Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Monday before travelling on to the Georgian capital Tbilisi.
He will be joined on both stops by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Sarkozy brokered a ceasefire that ended the five-day war in Georgia on August 12, but Kouchner admitted Saturday that the terms of the agreement were lost in translation as a full retreat of Russian troops from areas beyond South Ossetia and Abkhazia has yet to materialise.
The European Union is heavily-reliant on Russian gas and Kouchner said Paris is pushing for centralised EU negotiations with Moscow, which may offer greater bargaining strength.
The Kremlin, however, appears happy with existing deals done direct with individual members. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said last Sunday that Russia "will abide strictly by our contractual obligations" over gas deliveries.
In a bid to reduce its reliance on Russian supplies, the EU is pinning its hopes on the construction of a 3,300-kilometre (2,050-mile) pipeline, running from the Caspian Sea through the Caucasus via Turkey and the Balkan states to Austria.
More generally, Kouchner said the 27 EU members have no appetite for confrontation with Moscow.
"European defence is a priority of the French presidency, too, but will take years," he said.
"The former Soviet bloc countries fear a return to a certain Russian imperialism, I understand.
"But we also know, and there are 27 of us, the costs of a cold war. I hate that term, but nobody wants a policy of confrontation with Russia."
During Monday's talks, France will also be seeking Russian acceptance of an EU observer mission in Georgia and the setting of a date for international talks on the future of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
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