BRUSSELS, Belgium: NATO on Thursday rejected Russian criticism of its decision to send navy ships to the Black Sea, saying the four vessels there - from the United States, Spain, Germany and Poland - are on a routine exercise far from the coast of Georgia.

"There is no NATO naval build up in the Black Sea," said alliance spokeswoman Carmen Romero. "NATO is conducting a routine and long planned exercise limited to the western part of the Black Sea. The exercise is not related to the crisis in Georgia."

Russia and Georgia fought a brief war this month, which began August 7, when Georgian forces launched a massive barrage on Tskhinvali, the capital of the breakaway republic of South Ossetia. They were quickly driven out by Russian troops that stormed in from the north.

Three frigates - from Spain, Germany and Poland - sailed into the Black Sea on August 21. They were joined later by an American frigate, the USS Taylor, for port visits and exercises off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria.

Russia linked the visit to a delivery of aid to Georgia by two other U. S. Ships and accused NATO of a naval build up in the Black Sea in violation of international agreements.

Romero rejected the claims, saying there was no link and insisting that NATO was complying with the 1936 Montreux Convention which regulates the passage of warships in and out of the Black Sea. She said NATO had applied for transit into the Black Sea in June and stressed that the vessels would stay less than 21 days, as required by the convention.

NATO says ships are currently in the Romanian Port of Constanta, about 900 kilometers (550 miles) west of the Georgian coast. They are due to sail southward to Varna, Bulgaria, before leaving the Black Sea.

The vessels are conducting exercises with ships from Romania and Bulgaria, which joined NATO in 2004.

In addition to Romania and Bulgaria, the countries with coastlines on the Black Sea are Russia, Georgia, Ukraine and Turkey.

Source : AP