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Russian forces to start pull out of Georgia Monday

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-18 07:03

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told French President Nicolas Sarkozy Sunday that Russian forces would begin withdrawing from Georgia around midday Monday, Sarkozy's office said in a statement.

A Russian soldier guards armored vehicles allegedly captured from the Georgian military, in Tskhinvali, South Ossetia, August 17, 2008. [Agencies]

Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, telephoned Medvedev Sunday to discuss the French-brokered ceasefire deal Russia has signed with Georgia.

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"He stressed that the signature of the six point ceasefire agreement signed by all the parties concerned, most recently by the President of the Russian Federation, must result in the immediate withdrawal of all Russian military forces that have entered Georgia since Aug 7," the statement said.

Russian commanders said yesterday their forces had begun regrouping around Georgian cities, but the Russian Defense Ministry said the troop movements were just preparatory.

The French statement said Sarkozy warned Medvedev of "serious consequences" for Russia's relations with the EU if the accord were not implemented rapidly and competely.

It said Medvedev had assured him that the Russian withdrawal would begin Monday.

"President Medvedev announced to the President of the Republic that the withdrawal of Russian troops would begin tomorrow, Monday Aug 18 in the middle of the day," the statement said.

The Kremlin confirmed the conversation and said Medvedev had informed Sarkozy "that from tomorrow Russia will begin the withdrawal of the military contingent which was moved to reinforce Russian peacekeepers after the Georgian aggression against South Ossetia... to the security zone and to the territory of South Ossetia."