Russian troops stay in Georgia

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By Niko Mchedlishvili

BATUMI, Georgia (Reuters) - A U.S. navy warship deliveredhumanitarian aid on Sunday for victims of Georgia's brief warwith Russia while Moscow ignored Western demands to pull itsremaining troops from the Caucasus country's heartland.

On the diplomatic front, France called for a meeting ofEuropean Union leaders to discuss the crisis and to review thebloc's relations with Russia. German Chancellor Angela Merkelsaid ties with Moscow could be scaled back if its troops werenot withdrawn.

Russia says residual troops are peacekeepers needed toavert further bloodshed and to protect Georgia's separatist,pro-Moscow provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Moscowwithdrew the bulk of its forces from Georgia proper on Friday.

But in a sign of simmering tensions, a fuel train explodedon Georgia's east-west rail line on Sunday near the centraltown of Gori after hitting a landmine, Georgian officials said.

Georgia's Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze told Reuters thedamaged rail link was vital to the economy of Georgia and itsneighbours. Azeri officials said oil cargoes were being held upat the Georgian border following the explosion.

The Russia-Georgia conflict broke out on August 7-8 whenGeorgian troops tried to retake South Ossetia. A Russiancounter-offensive pushed into Georgia proper, crossing its maineast-west highway and nearing an oil pipeline from Azerbaijan.

Russian troops also moved into Western Georgia fromAbkhazia, another breakaway region on the Black Sea. Hundredsof people were killed, tens of thousands displaced and housingand infrastructure wrecked in the fighting.

A Reuters reporter in Batumi, 80 km (50 miles) south of theport of Poti where Russian troops are still present, saw agiant crane unload 55 tonnes of aid from the USS McFaul.

Two other U.S. ships were due to follow the guided missiledestroyer to the port. The United States, a strong ally ofGeorgia, has already delivered some aid by military cargo planebut is now shipping in beds and food.

"The United States is our great friend. They have arrivedat such a difficult time. It means we are not alone," GeorgianDefence Minister David Kezerashvili told reporters in Batumi.

TRADE ROUTE

The United States and Europe fear the continued Russianpresence in Georgia will cement the country's ethnic partition,undermine President Mikheil Saakashvili's pro-Westerngovernment and threaten vital energy pipelines.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said that France,in its role as current EU president, had called for a summit ofEU leaders in Brussels on September 1. They will examine thebloc's relations with Russia and possible aid to Georgia.

In Berlin, Chancellor Merkel said Moscow had not withdrawnits troops in line with a French-brokered ceasefire accord andties to Moscow could be cut back if it did not comply.

"According to all our information, they have not withdrawnin the manner agreed," Merkel told German ZDF state television.

Russia's action has also unnerved other ex-Sovietrepublics.

In a clear swipe at Moscow, Ukraine's President ViktorYushchenko said on Sunday his country -- home to a large ethnicRussian population -- must boost its defences and speed up itsefforts to join NATO.

Russia sees the ex-Soviet republics as part of itslegitimate sphere of influence and opposes their NATO bids, butthe U.S. envoy to the Caucasus said Russia had inadvertentlyhelped Georgia's bid for NATO membership with its actions.

In Georgia, the West is particularly worried about aRussian checkpoint set up at the port of Poti, which liesoutside the security zone Russia says is covered by itspeacekeeping mandate and is hundreds of kilometres from SouthOssetia.

"Putting up permanent facilities and checkpoints areinconsistent with the agreement," U.S. spokesman GordonJohndroe said.

Underscoring the potential for renewed violence, Russiansoldiers manning a checkpoint on the road between Zugdidi andSenaki in western Georgia fired shots in the air to disperse aprotest by angry residents. No injuries were reported.

Russia has deployed its "peacekeepers" at a series of postsin the Poti area and also in a buffer zone outside SouthOssetia and Abkhazia, saying they are allowed under the termsof a French-brokered ceasefire deal. But France urged Moscow onSaturday to order its forces out of Poti as soon as possible.

Though not Georgia's busiest oil port, Poti can load up to100,000 barrels per day of oil products, which arrive by railfrom Azerbaijan. It is also the gateway for merchandise movingto Georgia, other Caucasus republics and Central Asia.

Pope Benedict urged Russia and Georgia on Sunday to keeptheir promises to resolve the crisis peacefully.

Despite repeated demands for a complete Russian pullback topositions before the conflict, the West lacks leverage over aresurgent Russia whose oil and gas it sorely needs.

U.S. officials have said the conflict could affect Russia'smembership in the Group of Eight industrialised nations and itsbid to join the World Trade Organisation.