Georgia demands removal of Russian 'peacekeepers'

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 22 (Reuters) Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili launched a blistering attack on Russia from the rostrum of the United Nations today, accusing Moscow of trying to annex parts of his country.

Fresh from winning closer relations with NATO on Thursday, Saakashvili said Georgia would demand the withdrawal of Russian forces that were impeding a peaceful resolution of conflicts in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

''The painful, but factual truth is that these regions are being annexed by our neighbor to the north -- the Russian Federation -- which has actively supported their incorporation through a concerted policy of mass distribution of Russian passports in direct violation of international law,'' he said.

His tough speech seemed certain to fuel tension with Moscow, which denounced today NATO's decision to forge closer ties with the former Soviet state, saying it would seriously affect Russia security interests.

Some west European NATO allies were uneasy about opening a membership prospect for Georgia because of fears that Saakashvili might use such backing to challenge the Russians more aggressively.

The US-backed Georgian leader, swept to power in a 2003 ''Rose Revolution,'' demanded new mechanisms to negotiate a solution to the regional conflicts and gave a veiled warning of fresh fighting if the deadlock continued.

''If we fail to unite in support of new mechanisms to advance peace, we give a green light to those who seek otherwise and we risk plunging the region into darkness and conflict, despite our best efforts to promote peace,'' he said.

PANDORA'S BOX Saakashvili said Russia risked causing mayhem in the Caucasus and beyond if it used Kosovo's drive for independence from Serbia as a precedent for supporting other separatist movements.

''Any hint of a precedent for Abkhazia is therefore both inappropriate and reckless.

''If the Russian Federation persists in attempting to make this dangerous linkage and undermine the fundamental order ... the Pandora's box of violent separation and conflict will be unleashed not only in the Caucasus but across many parts of our globe,'' he declared.

On the presence of Russian troops as peacekeepers in Georgia, he said: ''It is a well settled and universally accepted international law that Georgia has the sovereign right to request the removal of foreign military forces that impede the peaceful resolution of conflict.

''We make no secret of our intentions to fulfill this right because it is based on the most obvious principles that govern a nation and the international community,'' he added.

Saakashvili said a new road map for peace in Georgia must include the demilitarization of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, backed by the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Union.

He called for direct dialogue between Georgians, Abkhazians and South Ossetians to rebuild peace and an international police presence in both regions, backed by ''the robust inclusion of the international community''.

Such ideas are likely to be anathema to Russia, but he said he stood ready to work with Moscow ''because Russia must become part of the solution''.

REUTERS MS PM2333