Georgia's foreign minister on Friday accused Russia of trying to undermine his country's democratic reforms by doubling gas prices and seeking to annex the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Gela Bezhuashvili lashed out at the Kremlin in a speech he gave at the Carnegie Endowment while visiting Washington to seek support on these issues from the Bush administration.

But former US officials said the Bush administration had given clear warnings to Georgia that it could not expect backing from Washington if it stirred up a conflict with Russia in the South Caucasus.

George W. Bush was said to have delivered this message quite bluntly to President Mikhail Saakashvili when the US president traveled to Tbilisi last May to congratulate Georgians on their pro-democracy "rose" revolution of November 2003.

The former officials described an uncomfortable exchange between the two presidents -- in marked contrast to the jubilant scenes witnessed moments earlier in the capital's Freedom Square when Mr Bush praised the cheering crowds for lighting a "beacon of liberty for the region and the world".

Georgia, a former Soviet republic still dependant economically on its former masters, has focused its international outlook on integration into Europe and future membership of Nato. It is one of the biggest per capita recipients of US financial support.

Analysts said that while Washington valued its new-found influence in the Caucasus - especially with the prospect of energy pipelines running from the Caspian through Georgia to Turkey - the Bush administration was anxious that Georgia's US-trained and equipped army be more directed at peacekeeping duties in Iraq and Afghanistan rather than engaging in renewed conflicts with its breakaway regions.

Mr Bezhuashvili said Russia's doubling of the price of gas it sells to Georgia from January 1 would undermine the success of reforms in Georgia, as well as Ukraine which also faces steep hikes as Russia starts to bring its prices in line with European levels.

The foreign minister also said Russia was pursuing a "de facto" policy of "taking these territories" of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"We won't tolerate this," he said, accusing unnamed powers "in the neighbourhood" of wanting to "kill" Georgia's success and provoke it into a military "situation" in the two breakaway regions.

"Our fundamental problem with Russia is that they still perceive us as in their backyard," he said.