Russia To Begin Georgia Pullout

But Medvedev Suggests Forces Could Remain In Separatist Region, Fueling Annexation Fears

(CBS/AP)  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russian troops will begin pulling back from Georgia on Monday as Western leaders pushed for a swift end to the stranglehold that the Russian military has exerted for days on its small southern neighbor.

On the ground in Georgia, the ceasefire seems to be holding, with Russian troops remaining in position around the strategic city of Gori, 20 miles from the break-away region of South Ossetia where the conflict erupted, reports CBS News national correspondent Thalia Assuras.

Humanitarian aid, some from the United States, continues to filter into the area in an effort to help more than 100,000 displaced civilians.

But on the diplomatic front, tensions remain high, Assuras reports. After a meeting in Tbilisi, Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel declared support for Georgia's entry into NATO, a statement likely to rankle the Kremlin. And Georgia's president continued talked tough.

Senior U.S. officials took a hard line too, declaring that Russia's actions have seriously strained relations with the West - and again accusing the Kremlin of reverting to a cold war stance.

Medvedev suggested that Russian forces could remain in separatist South Ossetia, the focus of the conflict. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said his country will not give up that breakaway region or another separatist province, Abkhazia.

"Georgia will never give up a square kilometer of its territory," Saakashvili told a news conference alongside Chancellor Merkel, the latest Western leader to visit Tbilisi and offer support for a country at the center of deepening tensions between Russia and the West.

"I expect a very fast, very prompt withdrawal of Russian troops out of Georgia," Merkel said in a courtyard at Saakashvili's official residence. "This is an urgent matter."

As she spoke, Russian tanks and troops continued to roam freely across a wide swath of Georgia and desperate Georgian refugees in Gori were seen shoving and shouting in an attempt to get bread.

Saakashvili alleged that Russian forces, far from withdrawing, had moved closer to the capital Saturday and - some of his trademark bluster still intact - vowed to defend Tbilisi if necessary. He also accused Russia of ethnic cleansing and said Georgia would not accept a future presence of Russian peacekeepers.

Medvedev told French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Russian forces would begin their withdrawal Monday, moving toward South Ossetia and a security zone that roughly coincides with its borders, according to the Kremlin.

But he stopped short of promising they would return to Russia, suggesting that Russia could maintain a sizable force in South Ossetia. That would likely fuel fears that Russia could seek to annex the region, which - like Abkhazia - broke from government control in the 1990s and has declared independence.

Sarkozy warned Medvedev on the phone Sunday that Russia would face "serious consequences" if it did not begin the pullout - a sentiment echoed in Washington.

"I hope this time he'll keep his word," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said after Medvedev's statement.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Russia was showing signs of returning to its authoritarian past - a development that will require the U.S. to re-evaluate the strategic relationship between the superpowers.

Georgia, bordering the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia, was ruled by Moscow for most of the two centuries preceding the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. Under Saakashvili, Georgia has sought NATO membership and has emerged as a proxy for conflict between an emboldened Russia and the West.

The EU-backed cease-fire agreement calls for Georgian and Russian troops to withdraw to the positions they held before fighting broke out Aug. 7.

Russian troops still have a stranglehold on Georgia because they control the main highway running through the country and surround the central strategic city of Gori, the western city of Senaki and the Senaki air base.

Russian troops were entrenched on a hill after building ramparts around tanks and posting sentries near Igoeti, a central Georgia town only 30 miles west of Tbilisi.

There were several Russian checkpoints Sunday on the road between Igoeti and Gori, a central city not far from South Ossetia. Some armored vehicles stood off the side of the road, camouflaged with cut branches.

There were a few military vehicles but no longer any tanks at the checkpoint at the entrance to Gori, less fortified than in previous days.

In Gori itself, there was a light presence of Russian troops and a few tanks. Virtually all shops were closed and the streets almost empty, save for clusters of people, many from outlying villages, who gathered around aid vehicles and a basement bakery.

People shouted and shoved as they tried to grab loaves of bread and boxes. A few women appeared hysterical at the shifting nature of the food distribution from handouts to a registration system.

The Russians also controlled the Black Sea port city of Poti and the road north to Abkhazia.

Georgia's Foreign Ministry accused Russian army units and separatist fighters in Abkhazia of taking over 13 villages and the Inguri hydropower plant, shifting the border of the Black Sea province toward the Inguri River. Russia confirmed Sunday that its peacekeepers were in control of the western power plant.

The villages and plant are in a U.N.-established buffer zone on Abkhazia's edge, and it appeared the separatists were bolstering their control over the zone after forcing Georgians out of their last stronghold in Abkhazia last week.

"No matter what happens, we will never reconcile with the fact of annexation or indeed separation of parts of territory from Georgia; with the attempt to legalize ethnic cleansing; and with the attempts to bring Georgia to its knees and undermine our democratic system," Saakashvili said.

The West agrees that Georgia must not be broken up divided, Merkel said.

"Georgia is a sovereign state and the territorial integrity of the state must be provided for," she said.

She stressed German support for Georgia's NATO aspirations but said she did not know when that would happen. Merkel also suggested NATO could help rebuild the tattered Georgian military.

NATO offered Georgia assurance in April that it would eventually join NATO, but declined to offer it a blueprint for membership, in part because of fears in Germany and other European nations of angering Russia, a major EU energy supplier.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that Georgia could "forget about" getting the two regions back. On Saturday, he said that Russia will boost its peacekeeping force in South Ossetia and will not withdraw its other troops until further security measures are taken.

In Tbilisi, the faithful went to church Sunday, praying and lighting candles in the city's Holy Trinity Cathedral, a Georgian Orthodox church.

"I wish peace for my country and for our children. We do not want to live in fear," resident Ia Kvirkvelia told an AP television news crew.

A large anti-Russian banner hung Sunday in front of the Parliament building in central Tbilisi: "No war, Russia go home."

In Italy, Pope Benedict XVI called for the immediate creation of a humanitarian corridor to speed aid to refugees and for all sides to respect the rights of ethnic minorities.

The conflict erupted after Georgia launched a massive barrage Aug. 7 to try to take control of South Ossetia. The Russian army quickly overwhelmed its neighbor's forces and drove deep into Georgia, raising fears that of a long-term Russian occupation.

Russia views the growing relationship between the U.S. and Georgia as an encroachment on its traditional sphere of influence. The fighting came amid U.S. efforts to close a deal on a missile shield based in former Soviet satellites in Europe.

By Associated Press writer Christopher Torchia. The AP's David Nowak, Steve Gutterman and Jill Lawless in Moscow, Michael Fischer and Matti Friedman in Tbilisi, Georgia, and Deb Riechmann in Crawford, Texas contributed to this report.

[toldyouso12]

"The conflict erupted after Georgia launched a massive barrage Aug. 7 to try to take control of South Ossetia. The Russian army quickly overwhelmed its neighbor''s forces and drove deep into Georgia, raising fears that of a long-term Russian occupation."

In other words, Russia came to the aid of Ossetia--but the US and Germany think Russia should have stayed out of it. Guess Russia had a US-Kuwait moment and just wanted to stop the aggression of Georgia against the ''self declared'' independent area of Ossetia.

Of course America is against any disruption to the status quo from non club members--and looks the other way or provides cluster bombs or invades, when we want to commit aggression. Our killings/deaths are holy...didn''t ya know?

[skeezix06]

They said they''ll leave Georgia and they will. Of course, they did say that South Ossetia and the other Russian enclave aren''t part of Georgia any more......

[intheshade-2009]

Does this mean that George and Rice want us to hate Russia now? We are just getting over our hate campaign against France, because they wouldn%u2019t come in on our deal to steal the Iraqi oil and kill all those Iraqi people. We even renamed our frenchfries to amaericanfries. It gets very confusing when we have a government that can%u2019t run the country or the economy, but uses their powerful media industry to direct our hate at one country or another. It is a good thing American people are so gullible, any other country would refuse to follow such a stupid policy.

[oneworldusa]

Another red herring by the Russian government? Probably. Time will tell.

[apprxam]

WhiteMale, they don''t want the truth. They like the NeoClowns & FauxNews lying to them and Cheney assuring that they can hunt and drive BIG pick-up trucks so that the can fly the American flag high and through the smoke of burning gas and foggy patriotism.

What better way to go through life, blaming negroes and Mexicans for the lost of culture, and *** debasing the institution of marriage and everybody but big farma (Monsanto, ADM, etc.) taking away their government subsidies and attempting to care for the poor. When Michael Savage and Rot Limpbutt points out Islamofacist as the enemy, they can''t see the treasonous Corptocracy has been selling out the nation since the early seventies.

So, RePugNaCons, keep up the meaningless, false symbolic images like signing each other''s truck to show "you care for the troops", while voting for people who don''t care if they can''t be with their families, just so that you can waste fuel in those poorly made F150s.

[apprxam]

On the Face the Nation today, I couldn''t tell if Sec. Rice was talking about Russia "bombing and occuping" Georgia for twenty years or about the United States and the Bush/McCain, present/future.

They''re not even embarassed to say the things the say! What a f*ckin sham and a out and out national shame.

[jgunther7]

I have lost all respect for Merkel. Her people were once guilty of attacking Russia and killing millions of people in some of the most merciless ethnic cleansing in the history of the world. Now she sides with another mass murderer and the motives are the same, to secure access to oil in the Caucasus. The tactics are the same as those used all those years ago. The indiscriminate shelling of civilian towns, cities and villages and indiscriminate murder of men, women and children. The same duplicity of tactics used by the Nazis of promising the civilian population that they came in peace and meant no harm then launching an all out attack in the middle of the night. Rounding up the general population and herding them into barns and churches to be set alight. Running down hapless citizens in the street with their battle tanks. We have seen it all before. The last time this happened the Russians drove the Germans out and punished them for their crimes against humanity. They obviously did not punish them enough. This time they should remove Germany from the map. Merkel has reverted to her Nazi roots and this tie eating madman is as wacko as her last leader Adolph Hitler.

[whitemale08]

You Republicans never listen to me...

I posted right here a couple of weeks ago about how Poland''s Prime Minister refusing to sign that "weapons-shield" treaty would end up in either a "scandal" or some "crisis" that would force him to sign it or force him out.

And now look, Poland is signing the "weapons-shield" treaty from Condileeeza Con.

Basicly what''s been unfolding for the last 7 years is the Darth Cheney top secret "energy" meeting that kicked off 9/11, Joe Lieberman''s pre 9/11 patriot act, the invasion of Iraq, the war in Afganistan and now this crisis in Georgia.

All for the glory of the British East Company Global Financial Empire.

And you Republicans have been dooped so easily into sending your sons and daughters to fight for this "New World Order" thinking that you''re spreading "freedom" and "democracy".

One thing that the British has learned from past empires is that "you create the crisis so you can offer the solution" and it''s working right now before our very eyes.

I do have a so-called "crystal-ball" because I''ve studied what these evil financiers and oligarchs are up to for so long and it''s all about power not even money.

So turn off the junkyard dog radio talk show hosts and stay tuned to my posts because I guarantee you, we haven''te seen nothing yet!!!

[existinguser]

this is insane... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMImW5ZjUXM. good thing that Jack Abramoff is in jail. with his clout he could have enticed the US government to obliterate Native American reservations in order to convince them to integrate into this country... next thing you know it''s 3am and the Indian fleet is in the Bay Area.

[newz4i]

Russia invading Georgia was for Oil?

U.S.A. invading Iraq was also for oil.

Russia took down a country, did their dirty work - all done within a month.

The Cheney/Bush/McCain team should be embarrassed.

[mperkel]

GEORGIA started the war - not the RUSSIANS! It was Georgia who attacked first. Today we are all RUSSIANS.Don''t believe me - Google it yourself. The Georgian first attack is a FACT. The news media is LYING TO YOU. It''s the same kind of lies that led us into the IRAQ WAR.

[mperkel]

GEORGIA started the war - not the RUSSIANS! It was Georgia who attacked first. Today we are all RUSSIANS.Don''t believe me - Google it yourself. The Georgian first attack is a FACT. The news media is LYING TO YOU. It''s the same kind of lies that led us into the IRAQ WAR.

[claydowner]

Russia seems to be reverting back to the old Soviet Union era of "realpoltik". Stalin was famous for asking about the Vatican''s influence by saying "how many divisions does the pope have". The imperialist edge making an ugly return in South Ossetia could not come at worse time. Russian diplomacy is needed for such issues as North Korea, Iran, and other important issues. The Iranian nuclear program needs to get resolved. Israeli officials seem to be running out on patience with the diplomatic process dragging on for years. A prolonged war between Israel and Iran could put the whole Middle East on fire and gasoline prices through the stratosphere. Al Gore''s plan for renewable energy might suddenly gain new inspiration.

[existinguser]

After seeing that 12 year old Ossetian-American girl on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8XI2Chc6uQ) give her account of the Georgian attack I have no doubt that the buck stops with Saakashvili. It''s kind of strange, though, that the media here has been trying to paint a totally different picture. Disconcerting? - to say the least...

[alanrobisch]

Boy, it''''s going to be a long time before we achieve peace on Earth.
Are we humans stubborn or what?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by closethippy1 at 09:18 PM : Aug 17, 2008
+ report abuse
I agree and if you believe as I do this is the nature of the beast. Liberal''s believe they can perfect humans somehow and human society. I don''t. I beleive that we humans are by nature flawed as moral beings and need the salvation of christ.

[closethippy1]

Cold War Round 2.
Boy, it''s going to be a long time before we achieve peace on Earth.
Are we humans stubborn or what?

[underdogus34]

And the Russians are really angry. Now they threaten to arm their warships and submarines in the Baltic (Times Online Aug. 17) and the Mediterranean with nuclear warheads - and to place such things in Kaliningrad (Kvnigsberg) and in Syria - thus also threatening the existence of Israel (Debka, Aug.17, 2008). %u201D Russia threatened Poland with a nuclear strike yesterday The Times Online Aug. 16, 2008

This clearly shows the weakness of the US scared out of their wits - and it is ridiculing US aspirations to be the leader of world governance. The Russian Bear simply ignores the US, knowing it is a paper tiger with no teeth.

[trishab57]

CBS-Picture 4: Georgians walk with religious icons during a protest against the Russian military presence in their country in Zugdidi, western Georgia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008.

-I thought those nuts were gone lotime ago. I can''t believe it they are still sticking their tiny pea brains into those fairy tales. I hope they would fight the US Evangelicals in order to convert them to their own version of fairy tales or vis-versa.

-Just can''ty believe it. I''m in big despair!

[underdogus34]

Mr. Sarkozy then tried to call Dmitri A. Medvedev, the Russian president, to amend the point with a timeline. The adviser, who was present, said the Russians did not take the call for two hours. When the French president got through, the proposal was rejected.

[nextgenman]

This is hilarious. All Bush can do is stand there with his limp tallywacker in his hand stamping his wittle foot.