Russia's pledge to withdraw all forces from Georgia except the two breakaway regions was "a step forward" towards the full implementation of the French-brokered ceasefire deal, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Tuesday.
Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev's agreement to pull back all troops within one month from buffer zones around Georgia's breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia came on Monday after talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Moscow.
Sarkozy, on his second round of shuttle diplomacy since the latest Georgia-Russia conflict broke out a month ago, then flew into Tbilisi Monday night to meet Saakashvili.
"I think tonight a step forward was made, a step forward on the path towards the full implementation of the six points" of the ceasefire deal negotiated by Sarkozy, Saakashvili told a midnight news conference with Sarkozy, broadcast live on local television.
Earlier, the head of Georgia's National Security Council Secretary, Alexander Lomaya, hailed the agreement on the further troop withdrawal as "very important," the Caucasus Press news agency reported.
Lomaya said Georgia was satisfied that Sarkozy reiterated the position of the European Union (EU), which included support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Sarkozy's whirlwind visits to Moscow and Tbilisi in the initial days of the conflict helped bring about a ceasefire deal that ended the fighting, which began when Tbilisi rolled in troops to retake South Ossetia and quickly triggered a Russian counter-offensive.
But Georgia and the West have accused Russia of failing to honor its pledge to withdraw its troops to pre-conflict positions. Russia says its troops remaining in Georgia are serving on a peacekeeping mission agreed in the ceasefire deal.
Under Monday's deal, 200 EU observers will be deployed in Georgia by Oct. 1 to monitor the Russian withdrawal, and international talks on Abkhazia and South Ossetia will begin on Oct. 15 in Geneva.
Russia also agreed to remove its checkpoints from the Black Seaport of Poti under the condition that Georgia signs a pledge not to use force against Abkhazia.
Source:Xinhua
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