A Russian envoy called on NATO to hold an extraordinary Russia-NATO council on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Georgia, accusing the Georgian president of war crimes.

"The Russian mission to NATO decided this morning to ask NATO officials to hold an extraordinary Russia-NATO council," Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin told reporters in Brussels Monday.

"We insist that the meeting take place tomorrow," when Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili is due to meet NATO's North Atlantic Council in Brussels, he added.

A NATO source confirmed that Russia had made the request but said no decision had yet been taken on holding such a meeting.

Rogozin, who held a hastily-arranged press conference in the Belgian capital, said Russia would not deal with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, describing him as a war criminal.

"Saakashvili is no longer a man that we can deal with," Rogozin said.

"He must be punished for breaching international law. He is responsible for many war crimes," he added.

"Georgian troops have violated international conventions. We are talking of genocide and ethnic cleansing."

Rogozin said Georgia's military actions in South Ossetia constituted "a pre-planned genocide," citing the shooting of civilians and the blocking of medical aid.

Speaking of a "humanitarian disaster" he said the Georgian military action had left 250 civilians dead and "completely destroyed" the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali.

"Russian citizens have been arrested. This is unacceptable," Rogozin added.

The Russian ambassador asked for the Russia-NATO meeting to be called during talks earlier Monday with NATO Deputy Secretary General Claudio Bisogniero.

The NATO-Russia meeting should be held at ambassador level, Rogozin added.

"If another format is needed that will be discussed."

Georgian and NATO sources said earlier that Georgia's foreign minister would meet NATO officials in Brussels Tuesday at a special gathering of the Alliance's North Atlantic Council.

The meeting will "give us an update on the situation and we also expect allies to assess the situation in Georgia following the appeal that the NATO secretary general repeated yesterday for an immediate ceasefire," a NATO spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile some 300 Georgians protested near Russia's EU mission calling for an end to the hostilities over the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia.

The protesters unfurled Georgian flags and chanted "Russia, state terrorist" and "Putin, terrorist."

AFP