TBILISI - Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili on Thursday demanded that Russia stop breaching Georgian sovereignty after Moscow said it would strengthen links with two rebel regions.

Georgia also called for an extraordinary session of the UN Security Council to address Russia's move to intensify cooperation with the two regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"We demand that Russia stop all actions which breach Georgia's sovereignty," Saakashvili told ministers at a cabinet meeting, according to his press office.

On Wednesday Russia said it would intensify cooperation with the two pro-Moscow breakaway regions in trade, culture and other areas and provide "complete protection" to Russians living there.

The Russian move in support of the separatists has already prompted expressions of concern from the European Union and NATO.

Saakashvili called on the international community to react, saying "we need serious actions, not only words from our partners in the next days and weeks."

Georgian Foreign Minister David Bakradze said in televised remarks that Georgia had "requested the convening of an extraordinary session of the UN Security Council" to address the issue.

Bakradze said Georgia would also ask NATO and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to hold special sessions. He said the Council of Europe and European Union were expected to make a statement later Thursday.

Saakashvili said he was sending Bakradze to the United States and Euro-Atlantic Integration Minister Giorgi Baramidze to Germany and France to hold consultations on the issue.

Georgia had earlier Thursday appealed to the international community to take steps to prevent Russia's "de facto annexation" of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"The Russian Federation has made yet another extremely dangerous step towards the de facto annexation of integral parts of Georgia's internationally recognised territory," Georgia's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The statement appealed to the United Nations, the OSCE, NATO and the "entire international community" to "use all means at their disposal to stop this process of violation of Georgia's state integrity."

The two regions broke away from Georgian control during wars in the 1990s following the country's independence, after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

im-mm/njc/gk

04/17/2008 13:39 GMT