Sarkozy útskýrir Georgíumálið - Evrópusambandið stóð fyrir sínu

Í gær birtist grein í Le Figaro og Washington Post eftir Nicolas Sarkozy. Þar fer hann yfir aðkomu Frakka og Evrópusambandsins sem og SÞ að átökum Rússa og Georgíumanna.

Það varð að koma á vopnahléi segir hann.

My long conversations with Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin during the day and with Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi during the night finally made it possible to gain the two parties' agreement to a six-point plan to end the crisis

Og það tókst en það er ekki allt unnið með því, langt í frá.

This plan did not solve everything. It did not aim to. But it did get the parties to agree to the cease-fire.

Fyrsti punktur samkomulagsins var brotthvarf rússnenska hersins þangað sem þeir voru fyrir átökin.

This withdrawal has to be carried out without delay. For me, this point is not negotiable.

If this clause of the cease-fire agreement is not abided by rapidly and completely, I will be prompted to convene an extraordinary meeting of the European Council to decide about the consequences that should follow.

Þá er komið að því, Rússar hafa nefnilega dregið fæturna í að fylgja þessum punkti samkomulagsins. Neyðarfundur hjá NATO í gangi og svo þarf að vinna málið hjá SÞ.

En hvert er framhaldið?

We must also determine whether Russia's intervention was a one-time, brutal -- and excessive -- response, or whether it is ushering in a new hardening of Moscow's line toward its neighbors and toward the international community, which would inevitably have consequences for its relationship with the European Union.

Og lærdómurinn?

But there are lessons we can draw from this crisis. First, the European Union rose to the occasion. At the behest of the French presidency, Europe put itself on the front lines from the outset of hostilities to resolve this conflict -- the third on European soil since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Throughout the first phase of this latest crisis, Europe's commitment was decisive: It was the European Union, through France, that created a space for diplomacy by quickly proposing reasonable terms for a cease-fire and rendering the political cost of pursuing war exorbitant for both parties. If our efforts finally paid off, it is because Europe -- despite a few differences in tone -- did not limit itself to condemnation. By choosing action and negotiation over rhetoric and mere denunciation, Europe was able to reestablish a positive balance of strength with Russia and to be heard by that country. When the house is burning, the priority is to put out the fire. Europe can be proud of this success, which proves that it can do a lot when it is motivated by a strong political will.

Þessi grein er ágæt í sjálfu sér og ber auðvitað með sér nokkra eftirtektarverða punkta. Fyrst og fremst að Evrópusambandið sé nægilega öflugt til að takast á við vandamál af þessari stærðargráðu.

Svo er bara að sjá hvernig málin þróast.