E.U. foreign ministers called Saturday for a prompt international inquiry into the Russia-Georgia conflict and the rapid deployment of an E.U. observer mission to Georgia.
"We have all underscored the need for an international inquiry on the unfolding of the conflict in Georgia," said French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner after two days of talks with his 26 E.U. counterparts in southern France.
"This inquiry needs to be launched as soon as possible," he added.
The agreement on the twin initiatives strengthens the hand of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who will travel to Moscow on Monday for talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Sarkozy, whose nation holds the E.U.'s rotating presidency, will attempt to persuade Moscow to withdraw its forces in Georgia to the positions they held before the conflict broke out on Aug. 7, in line with an agreed peace plan.
"This enquiry needs to be launched quickly," Kouchner said, stressing that it should be carried out by a body such as the United Nations or the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The E.U. foreign ministers - meeting in the wake of an emergency E.U. summit on Georgia- went on to agree on the need for an autonomous observer mission to be sent under the aegis of the bloc's common foreign and security policy.
E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana confirmed that preparations are underway and that the observer mission should be officially endorsed by E.U. ministers on Sept. 15.
However, several E.U. officials said the result of Sarkozy's talks on Monday would decide how the mission - expected to be around 150-strong - could be deployed.