Brussels, 20/12/2006 (Agence Europe) - A final attempt by the Finnish Presidency to have the negotiating brief proposed by the Commission with a view to concluding a new partnership agreement with Moscow came to nought on Wednesday. Despite Commissioner Kyprianou's visit to Moscow the previous day (see related article, pp6-7), there was no change for Poland, which, at a meeting of the ambassadors of Member States to the EU on Wednesday, maintained its veto on opening talks. “We still have our reservations, because Moscow has not budged,” said a Polish diplomat, regretting that Mr Kyrprianou did not raise the Polish situation during his visit to the Russian capital. The Finnish Presidency of the EU and Poland could not find a satisfactory form of words for a declaration that was to accompany the negotiating brief and which was to be aimed at obtaining guarantees from Moscow that the embargo on Polish meat would be lifted, the diplomat said. Finland, which had hoped that the Commissioner's visit to Russia would allow progress to be made on the Polish issue, expressed its “disappointment” that this matter was not able to be resolved under its Presidency of the EU. (ab)