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The European Union has made its intention to play down the report of the Tagliavini Commission into the August 2008 war between Georgia and Russia by issuing an extremely bland and largely content-free press release on the subject:

Today, Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini, Head of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia (IIFFMCG), presented the results of the investigation conducted by the IIFFMCG to representatives of Georgia, the Russian Federation, the European Union, the United Nations and the OSCE.

The European Union wishes to express its appreciation to Ambassador Tagliavini, and to the entire staff of the IIFFMCG, for the work accomplished under complex and challenging circumstances. The EU welcomes the presentation of this report and takes note of its content. Underlining the independent nature of the report, the EU hopes that its findings can contribute towards a better understanding of the origins and the course of last year's conflict and, in a broader perspective, serve as an input to future international efforts in the field of preventive diplomacy.

The EU also recalls that a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflicts in Georgia must be based on full respect for the principles of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity as recognised by international law, including the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The report itself will be published shortly.