EU foreign ministers were considering on Tuesday how they might temper Moscow's treatment of Georgia and at the same time secure Russian co-operation on key international issues, including Iran and North Korea.
"The message is very clear" that Russia and Georgia "must calm the situation," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said upon his arrival for the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
That message would also include "a European engagement" to "try to see how it can help," he added, citing in particular the EU's special representative for the southern Caucasus, Peter Semneby.
What remained unclear, however, was whether the 25 EU ministers would tone down the rhetoric elsewhere in their draft conclusions on the Russia-Georgia problem, drawn up last week and to be discussed on Tuesday over lunch.
In the draft -- subject to last-minute changes -- the EU member nations express "grave concern at the measures adopted by the Russian Federation against Georgia and at their economic, political and humanitarian consequences".
They further urge Moscow "not to pursue measures targeting Georgians in the Russian Federation," while calling on both parties "to work towards a normalisation of relations".
But there appeared to be a growing camp in favour of toning down the EU rhetoric to keep Russia on side regarding other key issues under debate, including North Korea, Iran and Kosovo.
"We have to keep a balance, it doesn't help to condemn one or (the) other," said Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, as he arrived for Tuesday's meeting.
Like Solana, he stressed that the EU could play an intermediary role in the fraught relations between Moscow and its former Soviet satellite.
"We, the EU, could be an intermediary," Asselborn stressed.
"I am convinced that the EU can play a very important role".
British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett appeared to take a firmer line.
"We have always talked to Russia very frankly about any concerns we would have, about issues like human rights, media freedom and so on, energy security goes hand in hand as far as we are concerned ... those themes are very important to everybody, the Russians included," she told reporters.
Tensions between Moscow and Tbilisi escalated recently with Georgia's arrest of four Russian officers it accused of spying, and have remained acute despite the release of the men.
Moscow ordered the total rupture of ties with its Caucasian neighbour.
The resolution on Iran is less likely to be subject to last-minute tinkering, according to European diplomats, with the EU handing its dossier on Tehran's nuclear ambitions to the UN Security Council.
EU nations now believe that "Iran's continuation of enrichment-related activities has left the EU no choice," but to throw the issue back to the United Nations.
The EU conclusions on Iran express "deep concern" that Iran has not yet suspended its enrichment-related and reprocessing activities as required by the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, and a Security Council resolution.
Some observers see Russia's increasing global role, notably in the Iran and North Korea issues, and the future status of Kosovo, as affording it more leeway.
On North Korea, the ministers were set to voice strong concern over the nuclear test it announced on October 9 and call on Pyongyang not to repeat its actions.
Among the other issues to be tackled are the Middle East peace process, Darfur and Zimbabwe.