Georgia to withdraw force from South Ossetia

Georgia has agreed, after a visit of its Defence Minister Georgy Baramidze to Moscow, to withdraw its military units from the province of South Ossetia.

Baramidze said after his Moscow talks that "for settlement of the existing problems in South Ossetia, it is necessary to fully and immediately withdraw from the area of the conflict all armed formations that were illegally introduced to this area and are not envisaged by accords".

The Georgian and South Ossetian sides should simultaneously move from the conflict area their armed groups that are present there without mandate, he said.

"Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili will give respective orders in order to ensure simultaneous withdrawal of Georgian units of interior troops and police, and ensure peace and order in this region."

To keep peace in South Ossetia, it is necessary to put peacekeepers in charge of areas that were not controlled by them earlier for different reason, in particular the Dzhabsky district, Baramidze said.

Source: Itar-Tass