DW-World.de
Deutsche Welle

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for an international inquiry into who was to blame for last month's war in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia. Speaking on the sidelines of a two-day meeting of EU foreign ministers in the French city of Avignon, Steinmeier urged Moscow and Tbilisi to accept an inquiry into the outbreak of hostilities. Steinmeier suggested the United Nations or the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) could lead the probe. Separately, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said plans were "practically ready" for an EU civilian monitoring mission to Georgia. The 27-member bloc hopes this will convince Russia to withdraw its forces back to positions held before the conflict.