EU ministers call for probe into Georgia-Russia conflict

The foreign ministers from several European Union nations are now calling for an investigation into the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia. The ministers want to find out both who started the fighting and also if any human rights violations took place during the conflict.

The probe is an excellent idea and a good way to move forward, so long as it’s both independent and fair. All of the sides involved - the Russians, the Georgians, the South Ossetians - have been making accusations in a full-on propaganda war, while "The West" (in this case Europe and America) have broken into two camps: The US, UK and a number of Eastern Europe nations looking to take a hardline with Russia, while EU powers like France, Germany and Italy have been taking a less critical tone.

I think that Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, probably has the most realistic view of what happened. Hammarberg said that the conflict started after Georgia attacked the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, but that South Ossetian militias were responsible for attacks against Georgian villages in the following days.

Under international law Russia, as the occupying power in Georgia, would be responsible for providing security in the parts of Georgia they were occupying - in other words, they should have kept the Ossetian militias from running amok.

The EU will also meet with officials in Moscow on Monday to get Russia's agreement to send international observers to monitor the ceasefire in Georgia.