Report: Russia against US joining Georgia mission

A Russian news agency is reporting that a diplomat has voiced concern about U.S. observers possibly joining the EU's monitoring mission in Georgia, saying it could foment violence.

The unidentified Foreign Ministry official was quoted by Interfax on Tuesday, saying the U.S. presence in the mission would "sharply increase the likelihood of border provocations" near South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Russia has recognized the breakaway Georgian provinces' independence after a war with Georgia in August.

The EU sent 246 monitors to Georgia as part of a truce that ended the war. The EU decided Monday to extend its mission for another year. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband says the EU mission could soon also include monitors from the U.S.