EU Monitors Set To Deploy In Georgia

From the International Herald Tribune:

MOSCOW: The European Union said Tuesday that its monitors would deploy throughout Georgia on Wednesday, but Russian military officials warned that the monitors would not be allowed to work immediately in the buffer zone that surrounds South Ossetia, the breakaway Georgian enclave.

According to a French-brokered cease-fire agreement between Russia and Georgia, 300 EU civilian monitors are to be deployed in Georgia from Wednesday. They are to gradually replace Russian peacekeeping units that have set up command posts in the buffer zone around South Ossetia.

The agreement requires the Russians to withdraw their forces fully to within the two enclaves by Oct. 10. UN observers are already in place in Abkhazia, but thorny issues remain concerning the European mission in South Ossetia.

Vitali Manushko, a spokesman for the Russian peacekeeping force, said Tuesday that the EU monitors would "work up to the southern border of the security zone, which is an agreed position of the parties." He said the two sides were still negotiating on how the Europeans would replace Russian posts in the buffer zone.

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My Comment: It is hard to believe that this war ended only 6 weeks ago .... it feels like years.