Moscow, Aug 29: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said that the Georgia conflict may have been orchestrated by US President George Bush in a bid to get his party’s presidential nominee John McCain win this November election.

Though Putin did not specify which candidate he was talking about, but there was no doubt that he was referring to Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential dandidate, reported the New York Times.

New York  - The UN Security Council met behind closed doors Thursday to discuss the crisis in Georgia, the first meeting of the powerful body since Russia recognized the independence of the two breakaway provinces at the heart of the military conflict.

Russia's decision on Tuesday to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia, contrary to previsous Security Council resolutions, drew swift condemnation from the United States and European Union.

Paris  - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Thursday said European nations were considering imposing sanctions against Russia as a result of its actions in Georgia.

Addressing journalists three days before an emergency EU summit in Brussels, Kouchner said "sanctions were being considered, as well as other means" to address the issue, but he did not specify.

"I, myself, would not anticipate sanctions (being imposed), while the meeting has not yet taken place," said Kouchner. France is currently president of the Union and has been at the forefront of the EU's attempts to resolve the crisis.

It was the first time France has brought up the possibility of sanctions against Moscow.

Brussels - The deployment of four NATO warships in the Black Sea was planned more than a year ago and has nothing to do with the latest developments in nearby Georgia, the alliance said Thursday.

The statement from Brussels follows expressions of concern by Russian officials at what they call a "buildup" of NATO ships in the area.

"This deployment is routine in nature and has been planned for over a year, notification of the requirement to transit the Turkish Straits was given in June, well before the current Georgia crisis and is completely unrelated," NATO said.

Vienna - At a special meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) that started on Thursday, Georgia's Foreign Minister was set to address Russia's recognition of Georgian separatist regions.

The Permanent Council, the OSCE's decision-making body, would hear Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili's speech and discuss Moscow's recognition of independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, a source close to the OSCE said.

The body would probably also deliberate on the modalities of sending up to 100 additional observers to Georgia, he said.

Moscow/Brussels - Seventeen years on from the Cold War, Europe and Russia are again on a collision course.

In the first 100 days of Dmitry Medvedev's presidency Europe seized on his liberal rhetoric as the promise of burgeoning economic possibilities. But the war between Georgia and Russia that erupted in the next 10 days sent shockwaves through Europe.

And with Medvedev's decision to recognize the independence of Georgia's two rebel regions on Tuesday - day 111 of his tenure - experts say relations hit a historical turning-point.

That act routed Russia's last advocates in Europe, uniting Western powers in scandalized and impotent demands for Russia to "reverse" its policy.