Brown Says Stabilising Georgia should be an EU Priority

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Russia’s “naked aggression” against Georgia raised two “urgent questions” which should be addressed at an EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on September 1: how best to stabilise Georgia and how to make it clear to Russia that its unilateral approach is “dangerous and unacceptable.”

“At tomorrow’s European summit in Brussels we will first unite to alleviate the suffering of the 100,000 Georgian civilians left without homes,” Brown wrote in his article, published by the Observer on August 31. “The UK has already pledged £2m, and I will urge partners to meet not only Georgia’s immediate needs but its long-term reconstruction and development needs. We will deploy peace monitors to better judge violations of the ceasefire, appoint a senior figure to drive the humanitarian and political effort, and support the NATO Georgia Commission, with a NATO team sent to Georgia.”

He reiterated British Foreign Secretary David Miliband’s words, saying “there can be no return to ‘business as usual’ unless and until Russia commits fully to Georgia’s territorial integrity and withdraws to its previous positions.”

“I will argue tomorrow that Russia should accept Georgia’s territorial integrity and international mechanisms for addressing these conflicts, and withdraw troops to their previous positions,” Brown said. “I will also be pressing European leaders to increase funding for a project to allow us to source energy from the Caspian Sea, reducing our dependence on Russia.”