Diplomats say EU nations wary of sanctions on Russia

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union nations are united in condemning Russia's move to recognise rebel regions of Georgia but are mostly reluctant to impose tough sanctions on Moscow at an emergency summit next Monday, diplomats said.

"I do not think there is unanimous appetite for it (imposing sanctions on Russia)," said one EU diplomat after a meeting on Thursday of ambassadors from the bloc's 27 states to prepare the half-day summit in Brussels.

Another said there was broad support for a proposal by EU President France under which the bloc would for now merely monitor Russia's will to cooperate with the EU before deciding on any review of ties, possibly at a November EU-Russia summit.

"We can't go on with business as usual, but that doesn't mean no business -- that wouldn't help anybody. Isolation and confrontation is not what we want," said one EU official.

Diplomats said there was only brief discussion of specific sanctions and little support for an idea floated of suspending talks in some of the 19 areas where the EU and Russia are pursuing technical negotiations on aspects of relations.

However they said some Baltic nations and Sweden questioned the logic of pursuing existing negotiations on a broader, strategic partnership between the EU and Russia in the present climate. The next round is due on September 15.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said earlier there was discussion in EU circles of imposing sanctions on Russia -- which supplies a third of Europe's oil and gas -- but stressed that France was not among those pressing for measures. Germany and Italy are also reluctant.

EU countries were in favour of providing humanitarian, reconstruction and other assistance to Georgia, and have tasked planners to look into the possibility of a civilian EU monitoring mission in Georgia, officials said.

Earlier, Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's ambassador to the EU, said he doubted the EU would agree sanctions because any such move would hurt its economies more than Russia's.