French President Nicolas Sarkozy won a pledge from Russia on Monday to pull back all its troops from Georgia within a month, with the exception of the rebel regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Speaking alongside Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Sarkozy said a new agreement stipulates ”in one month, the complete pull-out of Russian forces from Georgian territory, outside South Ossetia and Abkhazia”.
Medvedev said he had also agreed on the deployment of at least 200 European Union observers in Georgia by October 1 to monitor a ceasefire as Russian troops withdraw.
We agreed to ”accelerate deployment of observers in the zones … in sufficient number to replace Russian peacekeeping roles by October 1 2008, including at least 200 observers from the European Union”, Medvedev said.
The Russia leader insisted, however, that his decision to recognise Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states was final and irrevocable and announced that international talks on the regions would be held October 15 in Geneva.
Sarkozy said that negotiations on a new EU-Russia partnership agreement could resume ”as early as October” if Moscow fulfils a series of measures agreed.
Sarkozy was in Moscow at the head of an EU delegation seeking to enforce the terms of a peace deal he brokered last month to end a five-day war between Georgia and Russia over the breakaway provinces.
Russian troops entered Georgia last month to push back Georgian forces attempting to regain control of South Ossetia, the Moscow-backed region that broke away from Tbilisi in the early 1990s.
Russia halted its offensive after five days but did not withdraw all its troops from Georgian territory. It has since recognised South Ossetia and the second breakaway region of Abkhazia as independent states. — AFP
