Members of the European parliament's budgetary affairs committee on Tuesday urged the house to freeze aid funding to Russia in retaliation to the crisis in Georgia. "A freeze on these sums would be a legitimate political measure," to put pressure on Russia to pull out of Georgia, said German conservative MEP Reimer Boege, who heads the committee.
"It would be a strong political signal, even if it is not a huge amount. But the intention is not to shoot ourselves in the foot by blocking funding meant for human rights defence groups or other NGOs," he said.
"The idea is circulating among the eurodeputies involved in budgetary affairs to freeze some 60.5 million euros (87.9 million dollars) destined for Russia under the neighbourhood policy and to attach conditions to deblocking" the money, said Polish MEP Janusz Lewandowski, vice-president of the parliament's budget committee, "The conditions have yet to be drawn up but they could be based on the six-point (peace) plan" negotiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy with Russia and Georgia, he added.
Russia sent tanks and troops into Georgia on August 8, a day after Georgia launched an offensive to regain control of breakaway South Ossetia. Moscow halted its offensive after five days but refused to withdraw all its troops, saying they are on a peacekeeping mission. Georgia has labelled them an occupation force.
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