Russia pledge on Georgia pull-out

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said his forces will begin withdrawing from Georgia on Monday.

Mr Medvedev made the pledge in a telephone call to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who brokered a Russian-Georgian ceasefire agreement.

Earlier, the Russian commander of frontline forces in Georgia told the BBC a gradual withdrawal of Russian forces from there was under way.


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7566199.stm

[fascisthunter]

1. I Hope this is a Positive First Step

however I do understand Georgia's concern's as well.

Hopefully, Russia can talk more with European counter-parts and broker a deal where their own "Peacekeepers" are replaced by other nations. We shall see...

[ohio2007]

2. Russian forces not leaving ( Russian news source )

Google Russian-English translated {and some edit};



The commander of Russian troops in Gori, General Vyacheslav Borisov told journalists that although the president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and signed a peace plan, Russian troops do not intend to leave the city because not yet received the Supreme Order. "That's when the president will call me personally, then I withdrawn troops", - General said.
Russian troops are still control all entry and exit of Gori, and thus overlap and motorway, which connects the Black Sea to the east coast. Railway communication with this part of Georgia coast interrupted because of damage to the railway bridge, which blew up on Saturday, by unknowns, dressed in the form of Russian servicemen. Thus east Georgia, including Tbilisi, as well as neighboring Armenia could find themselves in a very difficult situation.

snip

Many observers have noted that the part of soldiers who are in the inland regions of Georgia, that is outside the territory of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,{ - } themselves{ - } came voluntarily from North Ossetia, Chechnya and Kabardino-Balkaria and not part of the 58{ Russian army} which officially launched in the internal regions of Georgia. In expert community have suggested that Georgia imposed not only part of the regular Russian army, but volunteer groups. This is a very important nuance, because under the peace plan Sarkozy-Medvedeva, Russia pledged to withdraw from Georgia regular part of the Russian army, a contingent of volunteers for the Russian command did not formally meet.
According to observers, it is hence confusion that arose after the signing by the parties plan to resolve the conflict. As is known, Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili that he had not signed a peace plan, which was signed in Moscow. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Radio Liberty correspondent explained that Saakashvili has put its signature to the document, under which no signature presidents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
http://www.svobodanews.ru/Article/2008/08/17/20080817151412980.html


Seems the only glitch to pull "Russian regulars" out is to have the Georgian president come up to Moscow and sign the surrender er,
temporary cease fire document.


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fae_1218969447

Russian troops may pull back but
Russian Black Water troops to remain.

[maddezmom]

3. First UN aid convoy reaches Gori, reports looting

First UN aid convoy reaches Gori, reports looting 17 Aug 2008 17:46:39 GMT

GENEVA, Aug 17 (Reuters) - A United Nations aid convoy managed to enter Gori on Sunday, the first time U.N. organisations have reached the Georgian town since fighting started last week, and found signs of "massive looting".

"While the buildings did not appear to be very damaged, there are clear signs of massive looting of both shops and private accommodations," the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement.

UNHCR staff reported Gori was deserted except for 50 to 60 people gathered in the centre waiting for assistance and the agency was not sure if it would be able to bring more aid in the coming days.

more:http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LH617289.htm

[bemildred]

5. Apparently "Freedom" is still untidy.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/04/11/sprj.irq.pentagon/

[maddezmom]

7. after this current goupin the WH, the everyone else is doing it excuse

is going to be the norm.

[bemildred]

8. Well, that's the problem, you legitimize when you do it yourself.

Intentional or not. That is the problem with assuming that you are an exceptional case.

[chelsea0011]

4. So how do the freeps and neo-cons feel now that Bush has passed off

to the French in an end around?

[Hissyspit]

6. Russia: Will begin pullout from Georgia on Monday

Source: Associated Press

Russia: Will begin pullout from Georgia on Monday

By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer
44 minutes ago
GORI, Georgia - Russia's president promised to start withdrawing forces from positions in Georgia on Monday, but suggested they could stay in the breakaway region at the heart of the fighting that has reignited Cold War tensions. Top American officials said Washington would rethink its relationship with Moscow after its military drive deep into its much smaller neighbor and called for a swift Russian withdrawal.

"I think that there is a real concern that Russia has turned the corner here and is headed back toward its past rather than toward its future, and my hope is that we will see actions in the weeks and months to come that provide us some reassurance," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday.

Bolstered by Western support, Georgia's leader vowed never to abandon its claim to territory now firmly in the hands of Russia and its separatist allies, even though he has few means of asserting control. His pledge, echoed by Western insistence that Georgia must not be broken apart, portends further tension over separatist South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

- snip -

The troops would leave, a Russian lawmaker said, "sooner or later."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080817/ap_on_re_eu/georgia_russia

---

[maddezmom]

9. Russia says troops pulling out of Georgia

Russia says troops pulling out of Georgia 18 Aug 2008 12:36:10 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Adds details, SS-21 denial)

MOSCOW, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Russia has started to withdraw troops from the conflict zone in Georgia in accordance with a French-brokered peace plan, a senior Russian defence official said on Monday.

Under the peace deal, Russia and Georgia agreed to pull their forces back to positions held before this month's outbreak of violence over Georgia's separatist region of South Ossetia.

Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of the Russian military's General Staff, told reporters Russian forces started to withdraw from the conflict zone earlier in the day.

"Russia has finished the operation on halting Georgia's aggression against South Ossetia," he told a daily official briefing. "The pull-out of peacekeeping forces started today."

He denied a newspaper report that Russia had used its Tochka-U short-range tactical-ballistic missiles -- also known as the SS-21 -- during the 10-day conflict.

more;http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LI74613.htm

[maddezmom]

10. Russia promises 'crushing response' to any aggressor

Russia promises 'crushing response' to any aggressor 18 Aug 2008 11:08:24 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Adds quotes)

KURSK, Russia, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, whose forces have rolled into Georgia in support of pre-Moscow separatists, warned on Monday that any further aggression against Russian citizens would face a "crushing response".

"If anyone thinks that they can kill our citizens and escape unpunished, we will never allow this. If anyone tries this again, we will come out with a crushing response," Medvedev told World War Two veterans in the Russian city of Kursk.

"We have all the necessary resources, political, economic and military. If anyone had any illusions about this, they have to abandon them," Medvedev said.

~snip~

"We do not want a deterioration of international relations, we want to be respected. We want our people, our values to be respected," he said.

"We have always been a peace-loving state. Practically there is not a single occasion in the history of the Russian or Soviet state when we first started military actions," Medvedev said.

more:http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LI66177.htm

[maddezmom]

11. Key excerpts from Russian General Staff briefing

MOSCOW, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of Russia's General Staff, on Monday held his regular briefing on Russian operations in Georgia.

ON PULLOUT

"The pullout of peacekeeping forces started today."

"Once we understood that no threat was perceived out of there (Gori) ... we started withdrawing troops from today."

"I would like to distinguish two notions -- the notion of withdrawal and that of pullout. So in a telephone conversation between our president and French President (Nicolas) Sarkozy they spoke only about the pullout. I hope you notice the subtlety. We are not talking about withdrawal here."

"We are talking about pulling out to the territory of South Ossetia. There should be no troops on the territory of Georgia."

more:http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LI88482.htm