EU ministers call for Georgia-Russia probe

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AVIGNON — European Union nations called for an international probe Friday to find out which country should shoulder responsibility for starting the conflict between Georgia and Russia.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and other EU foreign ministers said an inquiry was needed to determine who was guilty of triggering the fighting and whether there were any human rights abuses during the five-day conflict.

"We always said we would follow that up without fear or favor," Miliband told reporters at the start of two-day talks in Avignon.

Italy and Germany were among other EU countries supporting the investigation. The EU ministers agreed an independent probe could help clear the air between the two sides and help to resolve the standoff.

The talks also focused on how soon EU monitors could be deployed to Georgia to help ensure the withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia.

"I would expect to start deploying numbers in the second half of September ... A force of several hundred," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the mission was "practically ready" to be deployed. "The only thing is to see when, how and under what mandate," he said.

Finland said, however, the international community should first look to appoint a special and independent envoy to stabilize the situation.

Solana said a French-led EU diplomatic mission being sent to Moscow on Monday will try to get Russia's backing for sending observers into Russian-occupied areas of Georgia's breakaway provinces — South Ossetia and Abkhazia — which Russia recognized as independent nations last week.

EU officials said the bloc's monitors would remove any justification for the continued presence of Russian troops outside the two provinces.

In Strasbourg, European human rights officials said urgent action was needed to protect civilians facing a humanitarian disaster in the conflict areas of Georgia.

They also called for international action to end what they called a "policing vacuum" in the so-called buffer zone held by Russian forces south of South Ossetia.

Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, said looting, torching of homes and beatings were occurring in conflict areas because of the lawlessness.

Hammarberg blamed Georgian forces for civilian casualties during the Aug. 7-8 assault on South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, accused South Ossetian militia allied to Russia for pillaging Georgian villages and said Russian attacks had forced a wave of civilians to flee the Georgian city of Gori.

France and U.S. officials brokered a cease-fire between Moscow and Tbilisi three weeks ago, and EU nations are keen to play a key role in resolving the standoff.

Russia says it had no choice but to involve its troops in defense of the breakaway provinces, which Georgia tried to retake when it launched an offensive Aug. 7.

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