ICG calls for EU unity and caution over Georgia

The IGC, which aims to prevent and resolve conflicts around the world through field-based analyses, has published a policy report recommending freezing EU talks on a new agreement with Russia and on its bid for membership of the World Trade Organization, as well as suspending Russia's membership in the G8 and assessing the implications of the 2014 Olympic winter games - scheduled to be held in Sochi. Andrew Stroehlein, the ICG's director of media, believes that the EU should take the lead in these developments, and that talks about NATO membership prospects for Georgia or Ukraine will only exacerbate the situation. “It would only create a military rhetoric reminiscent of the Cold War period which we would be keen to avoid,” he said. He favours clear EU membership prospects for Ukraine and visa facilitation for Georgians, as well as substantial aid to the war-torn country.