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EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia

Russians Allow Observers into Buffer Zone

The European Union is hoping that its monitoring mission will persuade Russia to pull its troops out of Georgia by Oct. 10. The first day of the mission got off to a good start with observers gaining access to the buffer zone.

European Union monitors began their patrols of Georgia on Wednesday as part of the French-brokered peace deal between Moscow and Tbilisi. Despite fears that Russia could stall in complying with the cease-fire things seemed to go smoothly on the first day of the EU deployment.

The Russian military had warned that the EU observers would not be allowed into the so-called buffer zone that it has erected around Georgia's two separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. However, when the first EU monitors showed up on Wednesday morning the Russians allowed them to enter the security zone, which extends four miles (seven kilometers) into Georgia.

The EU presence is part of the cease-fire agreement that put an end to five days of fighting between Russia and Georgia in early August after Tbilisi tried to regain control over its two break-away regions. The massive Russian counter-attack pushed deep in to Georgia proper and ever since the international community has been trying to put pressure on Moscow to pull back.

Under the agreement Russia has agreed to withdraw its forces from the areas outside South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Oct. 10. However, Russia plans to keep around 7,600 troops in the two separatist states. Moscow infuriated the West by recognizing the independence of both, despite international pleas to respect Georgian territorial integrity.

On Wednesday the first EU patrols left their bases at 9 a.m. local time. Unarmed monitors in four armored vehicles left a field office in Bazaleti near the capital Tbilisi, while another six vehicles began to patrol near Gori. In western Georgia two other teams began patrolling the cities of Poti and Zugdidi, both near Abkhazia.

The first EU group arrived at a Russian checkpoint on the perimeter of the buffer zone at the village of Kvenatkotsa and after a short discussion they were waved through although reporters were not allowed to follow. "The situation is very calm," Ivan Kukushkin, a Russian officer at the checkpoint told the Associated Press. Another group of monitors visited the village of Odisi just outside South Ossetia.

EU mission head Hansjoerg Haber told reporters that the Russian military had earlier warned the EU monitors against entering the buffer zone. "We received different signals," he said. "We want to clarify these differences in the coming hours."

The European Union Monitoring Mission, compromising over 200 people, aims to stabilize the region and ensure that both Georgia and Russia comply with the peace plan. The observers will be hoping to avoid a security vacuum developing which could be exploited by roaming militias.

On a visit to Tbilisi on Tuesday EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said that the bloc expects Russia to respect the peace plan and pull back its troops by the Oct. 10 deadline. "I am optimistic that all the parties will comply," he said. "The objective of this mission is to allow Russian forces to withdraw."

smd -- with wire reports