The European Union opened summit talks with Russia in disarray on Friday after Poland vetoed the start of talks on a partnership pact, but the two sides did resolve a dispute over using Russian airspace.

The start of EU-Russia partnership talks was to have been the main set-piece of the summit but was scrapped because Poland, in a dispute with Moscow over a Russian ban on meat imports, blocked consensus on a negotiating mandate.

The Polish veto was an embarrassing setback for the EU as it tries to bridge differences with Russia its biggest energy supplier over how to ensure future oil and gas flows, and over issues of democracy and human rights.

"Of course it would be better not to have it (the Polish veto) but we are going to keep on working," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said as he arrived at the summit venue. "The situation will be overcome."

EU experts will travel to Moscow next week to explain EU food safety rules and standards following Russia's threats to impose a total meat product ban on EU imports over concerns that products from new members Romania and Bulgaria are unsafe, EU officials said Friday.

EU spokesman Philip Tod told reporters that experts would be in Moscow on Monday and Tuesday "to explain the measures that the Commission has taken to ensure that no product which could pose any animal health or public health risk can be dispatched to other member states or other third countries," such as Russia.

Turning away from tensions over Polish meat, the summit produced a deal on Friday to resolve a 20-year dispute over fees Russia charges foreign aircraft to fly over Siberia.

European carriers pay more than US$300 million annually in Siberian overflight charges. Russia agreed to phase those out by the end of 2013, when the fees will stop completely.

"(The agreement) opens a wide range of opportunities for strengthening EU-Russia relations, in particular in the transport field," EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said.

The overflight issue was one of several weighty topics EU officials said they would cover without the launch of talks on a new partnership agreement, which would have set out the broad principles of EU-Russian ties.

Source: China Daily