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Medvedev commits to withdrawal

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has issued a fresh commitment to withdraw almost all Russian troops from Georgia before the weekend as NATO-Russia relations plunged to their lowest ebb in years.

In New York, France submitted a new draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding full compliance with the Georgia ceasefire including a full Russian troop withdrawal, but Russia said on Tuesday it was not acceptable.

In a telephone conversation with French counterpart and current EU President Nicolas Sarkozy, Medvedev vowed that all but 500 Russian troops would be pulled out of the former Soviet republic on today and tomorrow.

About 40 Russian military trucks crossed the border into Russia from Georgia yesterday, a reporter said.

He said the trucks, crossing from midday between Russia and the rebel pro-Russian region of South Ossetia, were covered in tarps.

As Western criticism intensified over the further delay in the Russian withdrawal — Russia had promised that the pullback would start on Monday — tensions between Russia and NATO began to boil over.

Moscow pulled its navy out of joint exercises with the alliance, while NATO declared that “business as usual” with the Russians would not be possible until Russia had honored its promises.

Meanwhile, Russia’s upper house of parliament will meet in emergency session on Monday to discuss recognizing the independence of the rebel Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, RIA Novosti reported.

Under the French-brokered deal, combat troops must pull out but an unspecified number of soldiers can remain as “peacekeepers,” although there is little clarity on their mandate or their scope of operations.

“President Medvedev announced to Sarkozy that the withdrawal of Russian troops will be concluded Aug. 21 to Aug. 22, with the exception of a team of 500 personnel charged with implementing additional security measures under article five of the Aug. 12 agreement,” a statement from the French presidency said.

Also See: Europe divided on how to handle resurgent Russia
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