Date:11/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/11/stories/2008081158180100.htm

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Georgia pulls out forces

Vladimir Radyuhin

Russia asks it to sign a pledge

Military sources say over 7,000 Georgian soldiers are still in South Ossetia
Moscow appears to have ignored Bush administration’s warning

MOSCOW: Two days after it launched a massive offensive against South Ossetia, Georgia started pulling out its forces from the region under heavy Russian fire.

Moscow, however, said there would be no peace till Georgia signed a pledge not to use force against its breakaway territories.

A spokesman for the Georgian Interior Ministry was quoted as saying on Sunday that Georgia had withdrawn all its forces from South Ossetia to avoid a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

Deputy Chief of the Russian Staff General Anatoly Nogovitsyn on Sunday confirmed that some Georgian troops were withdrawing, but military sources in South Ossetia said over 7,000 Georgian soldiers and about 100 tanks were still in the region.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said on Sunday there would be no peace talks with Georgia till it pulled back its forces beyond the borders of South Ossetia and signed a legally binding pact renouncing the use of force against South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another breakaway territory of Georgia.

More demands

He hinted that Russia may put forward more demands to Georgia when the sides sit down at the negotiating table, saying the talks would be “extremely difficult.”

Russia continued to step up military pressure on Georgia on Sunday even as the United States warned this would seriously damage the bilateral relations with Russia.

Moscow appears to have ignored the Bush administration’s warning about “significant long-term impact on the U.S.-Russia relations” if Moscow continued “disproportionate and dangerous escalation” in the conflict.

Washington has not condemned Georgia’s attack on South Ossetia.

Warships deployed

Moscow has deployed warships off the Georgian coast to prevent the smuggling in of arms and other military supplies.

Russian warplanes have struck more military targets inside Georgia.

Gen. Nogovitsyn told reporters here that Russian planes attacked concentrations of troops and supplies to prevent Georgia from launching a new attack in South Ossetia.

Denies claims

The General denied Georgian claims that apartment houses have been hit. He said Russia would send as many troops to South Ossetia “as the situation may require,” but no Russian troops would cross into Georgia.