New York - As world leaders gathered for an annual series of speeches, meetings and action this week at the United Nations, there was a new conflict that pierced the organization's usually stuffy diplomatic air.

There were no official UN meetings this week dealing with last month's war between Russia and Georgia. But the conflict was a regular topic of leaders from around the world who took turns this week addressing the UN General Assembly in New York.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili called on the UN to condemn Russia's "brutal invasion" and help implement a ceasefire. His tough words were backed up by the heads of other states from the region.

"Will this body stand up for its founding principles, or will it allow them to be crushed under the treads of invading tanks, under the boots of ethnic cleansers ... and under the pernicious tactics of violent separatism?" Saakashvili asked Tuesday night.

US President George W Bush called Russia's invasion a violation of the UN Charter and said the world "must stand united in our support of the people of Georgia."

On Wednesday, the conflict hovered over the cancellations of two key meetings: a traditional gathering of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations, and ministerial-level talks on new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear activities.

The United States reportedly pulled out of the G-8 meeting in protest of the Georgia conflict. Russia purportedly cancelled the Iran talks - slated to take place Friday among the Security Council's five permanent members plus Germany - in response.

Russia invaded Georgia in August after Saakashvili sent troops into the disputed South Ossetia region. The invasion was sharply condemned by most Western nations and has led to a sharp deterioration in Russia's ties with the West.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who helped broker a ceasefire, appealed for calm and reached out to Russia in his own speech Tuesday to the 192-nation assembly. Relations between the European Union and Russia have also soured since last month's conflict.

"Europe does not want war," Sarkozy said. "We want to build a shared future with Russia. We want to be Russia's partner."

But Polish President Lech Kaczynski said that talks on a closer partnership between the European Union and Russia should remain on hold at least until Russian troops completely leave Georgian territory, and possibly beyond.

Closer relations were only possible "if both sides respect international law," Kaczynski told the assembly.

A number of other regional leaders, whose countries have at one time or another fallen under the umbrella of the former Soviet Union, also sharply condemned Russia's actions.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko accused Russia of "hypocrisy" and "candid support of separatism" for recognizing the independence of both South Ossetia and another breakaway Georgian province, Abkhazia, soon after the invasion.

Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said that the UN's inability to act showed just how important it was to reform the UN Security Council, over which Russia holds a permanent veto along with the US, France, Britain and China.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held a private meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Wednesday in New York. Neither spoke to reporters, but the talks were expected to revolve around Georgia as well as Iran and North Korea's nuclear programmes.

Earlier, in an interview with broadcaster CNBC, Rice said that Russia's actions against Georgia "call into question their suitability for the diplomatic, economic and security institutions of an integrated, international community."

She said that Russia's invasion was a key reason that their efforts to join international institutions like the World Trade Organization were "going nowhere."

Neither Russian President Dmitry Medvedev nor Prime Minister Vladimir Putin travelled to New York for the annual UN gathering. Lavrov will give Russia's address to the General Assembly on Saturday. (dpa)