By Jin Jing

    BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The escalating clashes in South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia, have threatened to ignite a wider war in the delicate Caucasus region despite international calls for a ceasefire.

Smoke is seen over buildings after Russian bombardment in Gori, 80 km (50 miles) from Tbilisi, August 9, 2008. Russia said it had driven Georgian forces from the capital of South Ossetia on Saturday as part of an operation to force Georgia to accept peace in its breakaway region. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    As Russia vowed to expand military operation into the region to "protect its citizens," and Georgia, backed by the United States, refused to back down on its territorial integrity, the prospect of ending the conflict anytime soon remains dim.

    ESCALATING CONFLICTS

    The Russian army on Saturday reportedly took full control of the South Ossetia's capital Tskhinvali from Georgian forces, raising stakes in the fighting which erupted late on Thursday night and has reportedly left 1,400 people dead.

    "Tactical groups have completely liberated Tskhinvali from the Georgian military," General Vladimir Boldyrev, the head of the Russian ground forces, was quoted as saying by the Russian news agencies.

    Earlier in the day, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that the country's troops have started a military operation in South Ossetia to force Georgian troops to cease fire.

    Russia on Friday dispatched an armored column into South Ossetia after Georgia allegedly launched a massive attack to crush separatists. Russia said it had to act to protect its civilians in the region, where most residents hold Russian passports.

    Georgia, which blamed the rebels for provoking the fight, accused Russia of launching air attacks on its military bases and key facilities for shipping oil to the West.

    Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department called in Russian Charge d'Affaires Alexander Darchiyev to urge Moscow to pull its troops out of the region as the UN Security Council have failed to agree on a resolution to end the conflicts.

    "We deplore today's Russian attacks by strategic bombers and missiles, which are threatening civilian lives," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.

    "These attacks mark a dangerous and disproportionate escalation of tension," he said.

    GEORGIA'S NATO ENTRY PLANS THREATENED

    South Ossetia broke away from Georgia without international recognition when the Soviet Union neared collapse in the early 1990s and has since become an enduring pain for Georgia, a country that is seeking better ties with the West.

    The de facto independence of South Ossetia has even proved to be a blocking stone for Georgia's ambition to join NATO, a move deplored by Moscow.

    NATO promised in April to eventually bring Georgia into the alliance without a specific timetable for fears that it would irritate Russia.

    Former Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the expansion of NATO toward Russian frontiers a "direct threat."

    The violent conflicts in South Ossetia could dash the country's hopes to join the military alliance anytime soon as countries like Germany and France are already opposed to grant Georgia NATO membership for its bitter dispute with Russia, said experts.

    Still, Georgia, with its third largest contingent in Iraq, remains a staunch ally of the United States.

    Georgia is a key part of the so-called "southern energy corridor" backed by the United States which has been seeking to connect the oil-rich Caspian Sea region with world markets.

    A key oil pipeline to Turkey runs about 100 km south of Tskhinvali, capital of South Ossetia.

    DIM PROSPECT

    As diplomatic efforts so far have failed, analysts fear that violence might spread in the region if the key party involved refuse to back down.

    Russian President Dmitry Medvedev justified Russia's move as a response to Georgia's attacks on Russian citizens and the Russian peacekeepers deployed in the region since the early 1990s.

    Putin, who is in Beijing for the Olympics, even described the conflicts as "war."

    Sergei Mironov, who heads Russia's upper house of parliament, was quoted by Interfax as saying that the fighting is "grounds" to consider South Ossetia's appeal for international recognition, citing Kosovo as a precedent.

    Meanwhile, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, for his part, called the Russia's assault a "well-planned invasion," and pledged Georgia's determination to protect its sovereignty and territory integrity, a move supported by the United States.

    U.S. President George W. Bush, also in Beijing for the Olympics, said the United States would support Georgia's territorial integrity, raising concerns that the issue could strain ties between Washington and Moscow.

    A solution to the South Ossetia crisis would remain elusive until the United States and Russia find a way to compromise on the issue, analysts say.