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Russian troops start pullout from Georgia

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-18 21:02

GORI, Georgia -- Russian troops and armored vehicles started to pull out from the city of Gori Monday afternoon under the terms of a French-brokered peace plan.

Russian troops ride atop armored vehicles near the village of Khurcha heading towards the border of Georgia in breakaway region of Abkhazia August 10, 2008. [Xinhua]

It was reported earlier that Russian forces had started to withdraw from Tskhinvali, capital of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, toward the Russian region of North Ossetia.

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Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of Russia's General Staff, confirmed in Moscow that the withdrawal of Russian troops began Monday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy during telephone talks Sunday that Russian forces would start their withdrawal Monday.

According to the peace plan signed by both Medvedev and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, both sides are to pull forces back to the positions they held before last week's outbreak of war in the region of South Ossetia.

The agreement also provides for unspecified extra security measures such as patrol rights for the Russians.

South Ossetia's president Eduard Kokoity on Monday asked Russia to establish a permanent base in South Ossetia, which wants to separate from Georgia.

The province of South Ossetia broke away from Georgian control in 1992. Georgia, whose troops have been trained by American soldiers, began an offensive to regain control over South Ossetia last week, launching heavy rocket and artillery fire and air strikes that pounded the regional capital Tskhinvali.