EU ministers call for Georgia-Russia probe

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and other EU foreign ministers said an inquiry was needed to determine who was guilty of triggering the fighting and whether there were any human rights abuses during the five-day conflict.

"We always said we would follow that up without fear or favor," Miliband told reporters at the start of two-day talks in Avignon.

Italy and Germany were among other EU countries supporting the investigation. The EU ministers agreed an independent probe could help clear the air between the two sides and help to resolve the standoff.

The talks also focused on how soon EU monitors could be deployed to Georgia to help ensure the withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia.

"I would expect to start deploying numbers in the second half of September ... A force of several hundred," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the mission was "practically ready" to be deployed. "The only thing is to see when, how and under what mandate," he said.

Finland said, however, the international community should first look to appoint a special and independent envoy to stabilize the situation.

Solana said a French-led EU diplomatic mission being sent to Moscow on Monday will try to get Russia's backing for sending observers into Russian-occupied areas of Georgia's breakaway provinces--South Ossetia and Abkhazia--which Russia recognized as independent nations last week.

EU officials said the bloc's monitors would remove any justification for the continued presence of Russian troops outside the two provinces.