EU launches inquiry into Russia-Georgia conflict
« Thread Started on Dec 2, 2008, 8:42pm »

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EU launches inquiry into Russia-Georgia conflict
Posted: 10:21 AM ET
(CNN) — The European Union has launched a fact-finding mission to
determine the causes of the August war between Georgia and Russia, an EU
spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The eight-month inquiry will examine the facts of the conflict in regard
to international law, humanitarian issues and human rights, said the
spokeswoman, who did not give her name because she was not allowed to speak
publicly. Investigators will also assess the basis for all accusations made
regarding the conflict, the spokeswoman said.

Heidi Tagliavini, a former U.N. special representative for Georgia, will
head the mission, the spokeswoman said.
The mission began its work Monday and is due to finish July 31, 2009,
ending with a report to the European Union, the United Nations, and the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the spokeswoman said.

Georgia launched a campaign against South Ossetia, a Russian-backed
separatist territory of Georgia on August 7. The following day, Russian tanks,
troops and armored vehicles poured into South Ossetia and another breakaway
Georgian territory, Abkhazia, advancing into Georgian cities outside the rebel
regions.

The two sides blamed each other for starting the conflict and have
accused each other of a variety of offenses leading up to and during the
fighting, including ethnic cleansing.

Moscow has since recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent
regions.