Medvedev Pledges Russian Withdrawal

President Dmitry Medvedev said Russian regular forces will begin withdrawing from Georgia beginning on August 18.

The pledge came after Moscow followed Tbilisi in signing a cease-fire agreement that calls on Russian forces to withdraw to positions they held before fighting broke out earlier this month.

The office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who brokered the EU-backed cease-fire, says Medvedev made the pledge in a telephone conversation on August 17. The office says Sarkozy warned his Russian counterpart of "serious consequences" for Moscow's relations with the European Union if Russia does not comply with its cease-fire deal with Georgia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on August 16 that there was no timetable for any troop withdrawal. Speaking in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, he said progress would depend on extra security measures being implemented.

"We are constantly running into problems created by the Georgian side," Lavrov said. "And so everything will depend on how effectively and how quickly these problems are resolved."

Sarkozy has acknowledged that the cease-fire permits Russian troops to patrol "a few kilometers" beyond the conflict zone in South Ossetia, but says that any additional Russian security measures would "in no way limit or put in danger" the freedom of movement along Georgia's road and rail network.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Georgia today to reiterate Western calls for Moscow to respect the cease-fire agreement.

US President George W. Bush, meanwhile, says Moscow's signing of the truce was "hopeful," but that there can be no question that South Ossetia and Abkhazia will remain within Georgia's borders.

"The international community is clear that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are part of Georgia and the United States fully recognizes this reality and will continue to stand behind Georgia's democracy and will continue to insist that Georgia's sovereignty and independence and territorial integrity be respected," Bush said from his home in Crawford, Texas.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was due August 17 to hold talks with Saakashvili in Tbilisi. In a meeting with the Russian president on August 15, Merkel said some of Russia's actions in Georgia were "disproportionate" and that the presence of Russian troops there was "not sensible."

On the ground in Georgia, Russian forces remain in control of a key central Georgian highway running from the Black Sea to Tbilisi. Reports say Russian forces are in position about 35 kilometers from the Georgian capital on the road to Gori, close to South Ossetia.

Georgia's Foreign Ministry says Abkhaz separatists backed by Russian forces seized 13 villages in Georgian-controlled areas and a power plant. The news could not be independently confirmed