A Georgian woman cries in front of her destroyed apartment building in the city of Gori, Georgia, yesterday. An EU peace plan for Georgia and Russia struggled to take hold yesterday, as the concept of having both sides retreat to their original positions ran into the stark reality of Russian dominance on the battlefield. By yesterday morning, Georgia reported Russian tanks moving into its key central city of Gori outside the breakaway province of South Ossetia at the epicentre of fighting. - AP

WASHINGTON (AP):

President George W. Bush said yesterday he is sceptical that Moscow is honouring a cease-fire in neighbouring Georgia. He demanded that Russia end all military activities in the former Soviet republic and withdraw all its forces.

''The United States stands with the democratically elected government of Georgia and insists that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected,'' Bush said sternly, during brief remarks in the White House Rose Garden.

''To demonstrate our solidarity with the Georgian people,'' the president announced that he was sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Paris to help the West's diplomatic efforts in the crisis, and then to the Georgian capital of T'bilisi. Rice was leaving Washington yesterday evening.

Monitoring developments

Later, presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush was delaying the start of his vacation by ''a day or two'' to monitor developments. He had been scheduled to leave Thursday for a two-week stay at his Texas ranch.

He also announced that a massive US humanitarian effort already was in progress and would involve US aircraft as well as naval forces. A US C-17 military cargo plane, loaded with supplies, landed in Georgia on Wednesday, and Bush said that Russia must ensure that ''all lines of communication and transport, including seaports, roads and airports,'' remain open to let deliveries and civilians through.

Defence Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said later that a second supply-laden C-17 was planned Thursday, and an assessment team was to arrive soon in Georgia to determine other needs. The Pentagon also is preparing to send the hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, if needed, although it would take weeks to get to the region.

The administration also will review what military help is needed for Georgia's now-shattered armed forces, Whitman said.

''To begin to repair the damage to its relations with the United States, Europe and other nations, and to begin restoring its place in the world, Russia must keep its word and act to end this crisis,'' Bush said.