Georgian official: Russian troops leaving Gori

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

TBILISI, Georgia - Russian troops were leaving the strategic Georgian city of Gori on Friday, the day that Russia's president had said a pullback would be complete, but elsewhere they were still manning checkpoints and controlling traffic.

Georgian Security Council head Alexander Lomaia said "we are seeing the pullback of Russian troops" from Gori, a key crossroads in central Georgia.

Earlier, Gori regional governor Vladimir Vardzelashvili said that 40 Russian military vehicles had left Gori heading north.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had promised to have his troops out of Georgia by Friday. But a top Russian general amended Medvedev's prediction, saying Thursday it could be 10 days before the bulk of Russian troops leave the country.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080822/ap_on_re_eu/georgia_russia

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Russia says Georgia pullout on track, West disagrees
22 Aug 2008 12:34:58 GMT
Source: Reuters
* Russia says to complete partial pullback by end-Friday

" Germany, U.S. question speed of withdrawal

* U.S. general says Russian pullback "far too slow"

* Russia to establish "permanent" checkpoints in Georgia

* U.N. deadlocked over Georgia resolution

By Margarita Antidze

GORI, Georgia, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Russia said it was on course to complete a partial pullback of troops from Georgia by Friday night but the United States and Germany said they had not seen clear evidence of a substantial withdrawal.

The top U.S. general in Europe, Gen. John Craddock, condemned the pullout, after fighting that has killed hundreds and made refugees of tens of thousands, as "far too little, far too slow".

Russia and Georgia went to war after Tbilisi tried to retake the Russian-backed breakaway province of South Ossetia on Aug. 7-8, provoking an overwhelming counter-attack from Moscow.

Moscow insisted that the withdrawal was proceeding punctually but the German government said as of Friday morning "it was not clear that one could say with any certainty that a substantial withdrawal was taking place".

Russian actions on the ground presented a mixed picture.

more:http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LL364124.htm

[Dover]

1. Russian withdrawal from Georgia remains uncertain

Source: Int'l Herald Tribune

TBILISI, Georgia: On its self-imposed deadline Friday to withdraw its forces from Georgia, Russia insisted that it was sticking to its timetable but there were continuing reports that Russian forces were still digging in.

Russian forces could be seen heading north toward the Russian border from the city of Gori, and several checkpoints around Gori had been dismantled.

The deputy head of the Russian general staff, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, said at a news briefing in Moscow that the pullout would be completed on schedule.

The pullback of the Russian forces "is being carried out punctually and we do not intend to change it in the direction of extending the timetable," he said, according to Reuters.

But Russia has given conflicting signals about whether it would withdraw its troops from Georgia by the deadline it set of Aug. 22....>



Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/22/europe/23georgia.php

[WriteDown]

2. They are getting ready for that invasion of Poland and....

Ukraine.

[Igel]

3. Difference in definition.

Where they don't leave will become, by definition, those areas that will always have been clearly specified as the areas they will have previously said they were going to stay in as "peacemakers", keeping the peace that spontaneously appeared after the mopping up operation that formed the ceasefire. Georgia will be expected to say it had always acknowledged that it not only would agree but did previously agree to things that it Russia will suddenly propose, to in order to keep the peace.

This will prevent more ethnic cleansing by Georgians, consisting primarily of leaving their houses in panic, thus forcing Ossetians to move in under the protests of illicit auxilary troops, and ensure Georgian sovereignty by placing it gently in the loving and tender care of Putin and his completely altruistic siloviki.

See? Just a minor matter of semantics.