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Russia: Troops Will Exit

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Los Angeles Times

Published: August 18, 2008

TBILISI, Georgia - The Kremlin said Sunday that Russia's military would begin withdrawing its forces from Georgia today, although it was not clear how far or how fast the troops would move.

Germany's leader, meanwhile, voiced strong support for the former Soviet republic's desire to join NATO, a goal that has fed Moscow's anger toward Georgia and the West.

The Kremlin statement followed repeated U.S. and European calls for Russia to honor a cease-fire agreement it signed Saturday and pull troops out of Georgia proper. But Russia made no mention of leaving the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where it has long stationed peacekeepers.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy both said they were told by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that Russia would begin to recall the troops sent into its neighbor's territory early this month after accusing Georgia of attacking civilians and Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia.

"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," Kremlin officials said in a statement, according to the Reuters news agency.

Moscow has made similar commitments in recent days but failed to follow through, and has sent conflicting signals. On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov refused to spell out a timetable for withdrawal, saying it will take "as long as needed" and was contingent on the Georgian security situation. But Russia's Itar-Tass news service Sunday quoted an anonymous defense official saying some units have begun to pull out.

Meanwhile, Moscow showed no sign of loosening its grip in areas of Georgia its military now controls. Dozens of supply trucks and tanks were streaming south out of Tskhinvali, the capital of Russian-controlled South Ossetia, toward Gori, the town on Georgia's main east-west highway. All along the road, Russian soldiers had erected checkpoints, taken up residency in an abandoned Georgian military base and set up roadside tent cities.

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed skepticism about the Russian promise to withdraw.

"I just know that the Russian president said several days ago Russian military operations would stop. They didn't. The Russian president told President Sarkozy that the minute the cease-fire was signed by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Russian forces would begin to withdraw," she said. "They didn't."

Merkel said talks could begin soon on integrating Georgia into NATO.

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