Berlin  - Gerhard Schroeder, the former German chancellor, accused the West on Monday of major blunders in its dealings with Russia and charged that these had led to the crisis with Georgia.

In remarks during a speech in Berlin to a trade-union poor-relief organization, the AWO, he contended it had been a blunder for the United States to train Georgia's military and establish anti-missile defences in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Schroeder said it had also been an error for Western nations to recognize Kosovo as independent.

"These policies must have seemed constricting to Russia," he said, adding that the Georgian attack on South Ossetia had crossed "more red lines" for Moscow that led the Russians to counteract.

Schroeder said the only way back to peace and stability in Europe was further dialogue with Moscow.

He suggested the European Union should act as mediator, because unlike the United States, it had no geo-political interests in the Caucasus. (dpa)