Paris - French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has said that sanctions against Russia are not on the agenda for Monday's EU emergency summit in Brussels. Fillon instead called for dialogue with Moscow.

The meeting, due to begin at 3 pm Brussels time (1300 GMT), had been called to find a common EU position on the issues arising from in the Georgia conflict in August. Sanctions had been widely discussed as one way to reign in an increasingly assertive Russia.

However, Fillon said "Russia is a very large country that matters."

"Over the past twenty years it has been in a way humiliated," Fillon told Europe-1 Radio.

Fillon said that the EU must talk with Russia about the "very complex" question of nationality in the Caucasus.

"Russia is on the way to modernization, to democracy," he added. "Naturally, more progress will have to be made." (dpa)