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EU Leaders to Hold Summit on Georgia


French President Nicolas Sarkozy has summoned European Union leaders to talk about the crisis in Georgia and re-examine relations with Russia.

The 27 EU leaders will meet in Brussels on September 1. They will also consider an aid package for Georgia. France holds the rotating EU presidency.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told German television Sunday that according to her information, Russia has still not withdrawn its troops from Georgia as called for in the French-brokered cease-fire.

Ms. Merkel said Russian forces still occupy the Black Sea port of Poti, which she calls a strategic point but not a buffer zone. The cease-fire allows Russian forces to patrol buffer zones around the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

But Russian General Anatoly Nogovitsyn accuses Georgia of preparing further military action in South Ossetia. He said Russian troops are in key positions to ensure peace.

Despite the tension between Russia and the West, Chancellor Merkel said she does not believe this is the start of a new Cold War.

Earlier Sunday, a U.S. Navy warship loaded with humanitarian supplies arrived at the Georgian port of Batumi.

The USS McFaul, with its cargo of hygiene kits, baby food, blankets, and other supplies, is the first of several American naval ships expected to deliver aid in the coming days.

The head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Henrietta Fore, says $13 million in U.S. aid has arrived so far.

Also Sunday, a train carrying oil from Azerbaijan to Georgia's Black Sea coast exploded near the central Georgian city of Gori. Georgian authorities say a Russian landmine caused the blast.

Georgian troops attempted to re-take control of South Ossetia August 7, triggered a massive Russian military response. The pro-Russian region declared independence in the 1990s.

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