Russian troops ‘start withdrawal’
Moscow’s troops continue to operate deep inside the Caucasus republic
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The Russian commander of front line forces in Georgia has told that a gradual withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia is under way.
Maj Gen Vyacheslav Borisov said he had given the order for Russian soldiers to be replaced by peacekeepers.
Russian forces in position 35km (22 miles) from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on the road to Gori, close to South Ossetia.
Russia said it did not have a timetable for a full withdrawal from Gori.
Russia still controls almost all of the main arterial highway running east-west through Georgia, and the main towns along the route.
Russia’s claimed redeployment comes a day after Moscow signed a French-brokered peace plan to end the crisis.
Conflict between Georgia and Russia erupted on 7 August when Georgia launched an assault to retake its Russian-backed separatist province of South Ossetia.
It led to a massive counter-offensive by Russia, with Russia moving deeper into Georgian territory.
The US has demanded Russian troops pull out, but Moscow says it will only withdraw from Georgian territory once extra security measures are in place.
International attention
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who mediated the peace deal on behalf of the European Union, has warned Moscow that the ceasefire bars its forces from any “major urban area” in Georgia.
However, in a letter addressed to his Georgian counterpart, Mikhail Saakashvili, Mr Sarkozy said Russian troops did have the right to patrol “a few kilometres” beyond the conflict zone in South Ossetia.
But he underlined that clauses in the agreement permitting Russia to implement additional security measures “in no way limit or put in danger the freedom of movement and travel along the road and rail axes of Georgia” and could not be applied in any towns or cities.
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PEACE PLAN
No more use of force
Stop all military actions for good
Free access to humanitarian aid
Georgian troops return to their places of permanent deployment
Russian troops to return to pre-conflict positions
International talks about future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
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“I am particularly thinking of the city of Gori,” he said, which is the largest town close to the South Ossetia border.
There is a much reduced Russian military presence in the town compared with Saturday – though Russian soldiers still control the town’s key entry and exit points.
He says that even if Russian peacekeepers replace soldiers, local residents say it will not make much difference.
Meanwhile, US President George W Bush has reiterated his staunch support for ally Georgia.
The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is due to hold talks with Mr Saakashvili in Tbilisi later on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has called on the Russian authorities to immediately take steps to end attacks by South Ossetian militias on ethnic Georgians in Gori and to allow vital humanitarian aid to reach vulnerable civilians.
“The Russian military has effective control of the Gori region, making it responsible for the security and well-being of all people living there,” said Rachel Denber, HRW’s Europe deputy director.
Russian control
The BBC’s Richard Galpin, who has spent the past two days traveling from the Black Sea port of Poti to Tbilisi, says Georgian forces seem to be surrendering control of the highway to the Russians.
The UN puts the number of those displaced in the conflict at 118,000
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In the western town of Senaki, our correspondent saw large numbers of Russian troops moving around on Saturday.
Further east in Zestafoni, he witnessed the panic of local residents as the word spread that the Russian army was approaching.
Cars sped away from roadblocks set up by the Georgian police, the drivers realizing their hopes of reaching Tbilisi had been dashed.
When the Russians arrived, they stayed only a few minutes after apparently being told there was no military base to take over.
Our correspondent says he then followed the Russian troops as they entered the central town of Khashuri, where they were given an escort by the local police.
He spoke to one Russian soldier who said he believed their final destination would be the Georgian capital, although the Kremlin flatly denied this. Another soldier said he expected to be in Georgia for a year.
Georgia has meanwhile accused pro-Russian Abkhaz separatist fighters of taking over 13 villages and a hydroelectric power plant. There has so far been no independent confirmation.
Security steps
Among the six points in the ceasefire deal, both sides agreed to pull back their forces to their positions before hostilities began on 7 August.
Diplomats have said that the UN Security Council is expected to vote later on Sunday on a draft resolution formalising the ceasefire agreement.
President Bush has said Mr Medvedev’s signing of the truce is “hopeful”, but that there can be no question that South Ossetia and Abkhazia will remain within Georgian borders, which are internationally recognised.
Reports suggest Mr Saakashvili only reluctantly agreed to another of the plan’s clauses – international talks about the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
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The Russian army brought in a large number of irregulars, mercenaries… They go around drunk, aggressive, armed and do all these atrocities 
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