Global General

Special

Newsmaker

Asia Pacific

America

Middle East

Europe

Africa

Sarkozy calls emergency EU summit over Georgia

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-25 10:43

PARIS -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU), Sunday called for an emergency summit of the bloc on Sept. 1 to discuss the crisis in Georgia.

Related readings:  Russians aims at port city despite pullback  Russia withdraws troops from Georgia  Russia presents UN draft resolution on Georgia  US: Russia not keeping its word on Georgia  Russia to increase peacekeeping force in S. Ossetia

President Sarkozy had called for the summit, which will take place in Brussels, at the request of various European countries, the president's office said in a statement.

"This meeting will be dedicated to the Georgian crisis, notably to the positions the European Union intends to adopt, including aid for Georgia and future relations with Russia," said the statement.

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has said Russia completed its troop withdrawal from Georgia Friday.

The United States and France, however, Friday criticized Russia for not complying with a France-brokered ceasefire agreement with Georgia.

Moscow sent in troops following Georgia's attacks on South Ossetia on Aug. 7 in an attempt to regain control of the breakaway region, which borders Russia.

South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s. However, its independence has not been internationally recognized.