Russian Troops Withdraw From Gori

Sky News
Thursday, Aug 14, 2008

Russian troops have begun pulling out from Gori, the Georgian city that has been hit by shelling and looting, according to Georgia’s Interior Ministry.

Their presence in the town had raised fears that Russia would challenge a cease-fire agreement brokered following five days of bloody conflict over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.

Georgian police on the outskirts of Gori were halting civilian traffic and scores of light vehicles carrying Georgian soldiers were parked in the area.

Meanwhile, a Russian defence ministry source told Sky News an unmanned Georgian spy plane had been shot down over South Ossetia.

The first planeload of US aid has been delivered to Georgia as Washington steps up its support of the shaky ceasefire.

A C-17 military aircraft brought supplies into the capital Tbilisi and a second flight is planned for later today.

George Bush has promised to support Georgia with humanitarian supplies and said he expects
Russia to allow aid into the country, ensuring all lines of communication and transport remain open.

Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili said Mr Bush’s pledge meant Georgian ports and airports would be taken under US military control but this claim was swiftly denied by the Pentagon.

The US president also criticised Moscow for apparently breaking the ceasefire.
"The United States of America stands with the democratically-elected government of Georgia," Mr Bush said.

"We insist that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected."

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due to arrive in Tbilisi later after talks in Paris.

Russia has denied violating the ceasefire and rejected claims its troops had advanced on Tbilisi or looted the town of Gori.

But a top Russian general has said his troops would be in Gori at least until tomorrow in order to hand control over to Georgian police.

Sky News' Lisa Holland, speaking from Moscow, said: "Essentially it is the West's worst nightmare that this is squaring up into some kind of proxy confrontation between America and Russia."

She added: "Russia's foreign minister said America now has to choose between Georgia and Russia so the situation is getting more and more serious and critically Russia is saying quite clearly that it believes the solution - the way forward - must not involve America."

In the meantime, Human Rights Watch, a US-based organisation with staff in Georgia, has said its onsite researchers have witnessed looting of ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia, the separatist province at the heart of the current conflict.

And yesterday, Sky News' Andrew Wilson was held at gunpoint in Gori, saying there were "vicious looters on the way into town".