Poland hopes to convince the European Union to take a hard line on Russia`s Russia military intervention in Georgia at a special summit on September 1, its prime minister said Monday, according to Thompson Financial.
`I spoke with (Germany`s) Chancellor Merkel this morning to make the European position uniform, harder and categorical concerning Russia in the context of the crisis in the Caucasus,` Premier Donald Tusk told reporters.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU presidency, called the summit for September 1 in Brussels.
Poland, which last week signed a missile defence deal with United States, amid veiled Russian threats, had pressed for a special EU summit on the crisis in Georgia.
`It seems that this Polish viewpoint we have been presenting from the beginning (...) is beginning to be current position in the European Union,` Tusk said.
`I spoke with President Sarkozy a few days ago and he did not hide that Russia`s behaviour is beginning to be irritating to a certain degree and will require the EU to make firm decisions,` Tusk said.
He said he believed Russia had not respected the terms of a peace agreement brokered by Sarkozy between Russia and Georgia.
`At least on some points we have the impression Russia is flouting this agreement,` Tusk said.
Poland is a strong supporter of Georgia being put on track for membership of NATO and the EU.
Tusk said he was not surprised by the Russian parliament`s vote on Monday to recognise the independence of breakaway Georgian regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
`We expected this kind of development. This demonstrates that Russia is hardening its position,` Tusk said.
The two regions are internationally recognised as part of Georgia, where Russian troops rolled in on August 8 to fight off a Georgian offensive to retake South Ossetia.
