The European Union argued on Tuesday over how strongly to criticize Russia’s treatment of neighboring Georgia, three days before a sensitive summit with President Vladimir Putin in Finland, the Reuters news agency reports.

The EU’s Finnish presidency prepared a draft statement for the bloc’s foreign ministers firmly condemning Moscow’s blockade of the former Soviet republic, but diplomats said west European countries wanted the declaration “rebalanced”.

Enraged by Georgia’s brief detention of four Russian army officers on spying charges last month, Moscow has cut transport and post links with the small Caucasus nation, stopped issuing visas and slapped restrictions on Georgians in Russia.

“The (E.U.) Council expresses its grave concern at the measures adopted by the Russian Federation against Georgia and at their economic, political and humanitarian consequences,” the draft statement said.

It also urged Moscow “not to pursue measures targeting Georgians in the Russian Federation.”

However, strong resistance from west European states who see Russia as a key strategic partner and energy supplier seemed set to water down the Finnish draft.

“We must keep a balance. It’s not about condemning one side or the other,” said Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn.

“We do not want tension to rise, rise and rise. It is not in the interest of either the Russians or the Georgians,” he said.

Senior EU diplomats were unable to bridge differences over the wording on Tuesday morning, leaving the 25 ministers to arbitrate behind closed doors at a lunch session.

Diplomats said France led the countries seeking to tone down EU criticism of Moscow. Paris sought to refer to a United Nations resolution on the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, which criticized the Tbilisi government.

The calibration of the statement will set the tone for the dinner talks with Putin at Friday’s informal E.U. summit in Lahti, north of Helsinki, at which EU leaders also plan to raise the murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

The Lahti meeting was originally intended to focus on co-operation on energy security. But EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said it would be hard to avoid raising European concerns at the silencing of one of the rare, critical media voices in Russia.

Diplomats said Baltic, Scandinavian and central European EU members were pushing for a tough line. “It’s a traditional division on Russia,” one said.

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett highlighted European ambivalence about Russia when asked how hard the bloc would be on Georgia and human rights issues.

“We have always talked to Russia very frankly about any concerns that we have about issues like human rights, media freedom and so on. But of course energy security goes hand in hand … with climate security,” she said.

The draft EU statement for Tuesday also calls on Moscow and Tbilisi to focus on reaching a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Abkhazia and South Ossetia “in full respect of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Moscow, Georgia’s former ruler, has so far ignored pressure from the United States and the EU to call off its sanctions.

Political experts say Russia has been angered by Tbilisi’s moves towards closer ties and possibly membership of NATO. Many hawkish Russian politicians view the Caucasus as a vulnerable region where Moscow’s influence is waning.

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