Russia seeks to avoid EU wrath over Georgia

MOSCOW, Aug 31 (AFP) Russia moved to ease tensions with the West ahead of an EU emergency summit on the Georgia conflict as Britain pushed Sunday for a root and branch review of the bloc's relations with Moscow.brPresident Dmitry Medvedev urged European governments to send more observers to Georgia to monitor a ceasefire between Russian and Georgian forces, opening the door to cooperation with the European Union to resolve the conflict.brBut British Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned that Russia's military surge into Georgia and recognition of two Georgian rebel regions left EU leaders with little choice but to change the course of relations with Moscow.brIn the light of Russian actions, the EU should review -- root and branch -- our relationship with Russia, he wrote in a commentary published Sunday in London's Observer newspaper.brThe prime minister said he had warned Medvedev in a telephone call Saturday to expect a determined European response to the situation in Georgia at the summit in Brussels Monday.brGeorgia is calling for sanctions on Russian leaders after breaking off diplomatic relations with Moscow in protest at the decision to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.