U.S. navy arrives in Georgia

By Niko Mchedlishvili

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

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

But in a sign of simmering tensions, a fuel train exploded on Georgia's main east-west rail line on Sunday near the central town of Gori after hitting a landmine, according to Georgian officials. A huge plume of black smoke climbed into the sky.

Georgia's Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze told Reuters the damaged rail link was vital to the economy of Georgia and its neighbors, and Azeri officials said oil cargoes were being held up at the Georgian border following the explosion.

The Russia-Georgia conflict erupted on August 7-8 when Tbilisi tried to retake South Ossetia. A Russian counter-offensive pushed into Georgia proper, crossing its main east-west highway and nearing a Western-backed oil pipeline from Azerbaijan.

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

A Reuters reporter in Batumi, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of the port of Poti where Russian troops are still present, saw a giant crane unload 55 tons of aid from the USS McFaul.

Two other U.S. ships were due to follow the guided missile destroyer to the port. The United States, a strong ally of Georgia, has already delivered some aid by military cargo plane but is now shipping in beds and food.

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

TRADE ROUTE

The United States and Europe fear the continued Russian presence in Georgia will cement the country's ethnic partition, undermine President Mikheil Saakashvili's pro-Western government and threaten vital energy pipelines criss-crossing the country.

Russia's action has also unnerved other ex-Soviet republics.

In a clear swipe at Moscow, Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko said on Sunday his country -- home to a large ethnic Russian population -- must boost its defenses and speed up its efforts to join NATO.

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

In Georgia, the West is particularly worried about a Russian checkpoint set up at the port of Poti, which lies outside the security zone Russia says is covered by its peacekeeping mandate and is hundreds of kilometers from South Ossetia.

"Putting up permanent facilities and checkpoints are inconsistent with the (ceasefire) agreement," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

Underscoring the potential for renewed violence, Russian soldiers manning a checkpoint on the road between Zugdidi and Senaki in western Georgia fired shots in the air to disperse a protest by angry residents. No injuries were reported.

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

Though not Georgia's busiest port for oil, Poti can load up to 100,000 barrels per day of oil products, which arrive by rail from Azerbaijan. It is also the gateway for merchandise moving to Georgia, other Caucasus republics and Central Asia.

BUFFER ZONE

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said he and Kremlin leader Dmitry Medvedev had agreed on Saturday on the need for an international mechanism under the auspices of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to replace Russian patrols in a buffer zone south of South Ossetia.

In a conflicting account, the Kremlin said replacing Russian peacekeepers was not discussed. Russia has earlier said South Ossetians and Abkhazians would only accept Russian peacekeepers.

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

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

U.S. officials have said the conflict could affect Russia's membership in the Group of Eight industrialized nations and its bid to join the World Trade Organisation.