(BRUSSELS) - EU nations were divided Thursday on whether Russia has fulfilled its promise to withdraw its troops from buffer zones in Georgia, just days before the 27 foreign ministers were to discuss the matter in Luxembourg.

During talks between EU ambassadors, the Baltic nations, Poland and Sweden took a tough line on the issue, according to European diplomats.

For these countries the conditions agreed last month at an extraordinary EU summit on Georgia was unambiguous. Russia had to withdraw its forces by October 10 to the positions they held before the outbreak of the conflict in Georgia on August 7, as stipulated in a ceasefire agreement accepted by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

That would mean Moscow should only keep some 2,000-plus peacekeeping soldiers in the two Georgian separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, rather than the 7,600 they intend to keep there.

"We would like to be convinced, but right now we don't see how you can say that 2,000 peacekeepers and 7,000 troops is the same thing," said one diplomat.

"That's two completely different things" said another.

However for the EU's French presidency as for many other member states the withdrawal of Russian forces from the "buffer zones" adjacent to the breakaway republics into South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which was said to have been completed Wednesday, is the only condition that must be fulfilled, the diplomats explained.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency till the end of the year, said Wednesday Russia "has kept its word."

On Thursday Russian forces were also still controlling access to the Akhalgori district, which lies in South Ossetia as determined by the region's Soviet-era borders.

The district, home to both ethnic Georgians and Ossetians, was controlled by Tbilisi prior to the August war, but it is now mostly held by Russia's separatist allies. Moscow has recognised South Ossetia as an independent state and plans to keep 3,800 soldiers there alone.

The differences in interpretation could hamper debate by the EU foreign ministers when they meet in Luxembourg on Monday and evaluate an EU observers report from Georgia.

To further complicate matters, EU-Russia talks on a new, wide-ranging partnership agreement have been suspended until Russian troops withdraw.

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.