EU, U.S. back Georgian call for truce in S.Ossetia

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL768040420080809?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

Sat Aug 9, 2008 7:54pm EDT

"It (the EU presidency) demands an immediate ceasefire. It welcomes the offer of the ceasefire from Georgia and expects from Russia that it will immediately accept such a ceasefire."

A senior U.S. official echoed that call, saying Russia had used disproportionate force in the conflict.

Britain said an EU-U.S. delegation would head to Georgia to try to broker a truce. The fighting threatens oil and gas pipelines seen as crucial in the West in a volatile region where instability could well spread.

Georgia said Russian planes had targeted a vital pipeline that carries oil to the West from Asia via neighboring Turkey but had missed.

Russia's military action dramatically intensified its long-running stand-off with Georgia that has sparked alarm in the West and led to angry exchanges reminiscent of the Cold War.

NATO ASPIRATIONS RANKLE

Putin said Georgia's bid to join the Western alliance NATO -- anathema to Moscow -- was part of the problem.

"Georgia's aspiration to join NATO ... is driven by its attempt to drag other nations and peoples into its bloody adventures," he said, demanding Tbilisi halt its "aggression".

Russian troops poured into South Ossetia on Friday, hours after Georgia launched a major offensive aimed at restoring control over the province.