Pizzas galore!

Unconfirmed reports in Georgia suggested that the Russian Army was setting up further checkpoints in the country allowing them near-total control over the limited transport infrastructure.

The Russian military was maintaining their existing checkpoints around Gori and Tbilisi today as they prepare to strengthen their positions around Georgia’s two breakaway regions.

Several thousand people rallied this morning in the Abkhazian capital of Sukhumi to demand the region be recognised as independent and a similar rally was held in Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital, this afternoon.

The separatist leader of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity, confirmed that the region would follow Abkhazia in formally demanding independence.

To cheers from a crowd of around 1,000, he said: "This is the last tragedy in the land of South Ossetia. I have prepared an appeal to the President of Russia and the government of Russia to recognise the independence of the Republic of South Ossetia.

"We will live in a free and independent republic. I am convinced that we will meet again very soon to celebrate the recognition of our independence."

Russian officials, including President Medvedev of Russia, have indicated Moscow would be willing to recognise the regions as independent.

Despite the EU sponsored peace accord, Col-Gen Nogovitsyn said Georgia has “no moral right” to return its soldiers to South Ossetia, where they had held some land as part of a peacekeeping mission. Western leaders have stressed that Georgia must retain its current borders.

The conflict in the Caucasus has left Moscow’s relations with the West, particularly Washington in a terrible state. Cold War-style rhetoric surrounded the signing of a missile treaty between Poland and the United States yesterday.

Patriot missiles, long-range interceptor missiles and a small garrison of American troops will be stationed on Polish soil in what Moscow describes as a clear act of aggression.

A senior Russian military official warned Poland on Friday that by hosting US missiles within 115 miles of the Russian border, the country was leaving itself open to a military, possibly nuclear, retaliation.

Condoleezza Rice responded to that statement yesterday when she signed the agreement in Warsaw. “It’s 2008, and the United States has a. . . firm treaty guarantee to defend Poland’s territory as if it was the territory of the United States,” Dr Rice said. “So it’s probably not wise to throw these threats around.”

Washington is now applying as much pressure as possible, alongside the EU, in attempting to speed up the Russian troop pull back from central Georgia.

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