Tbilisi Says Russia Hasn’t Fully Met Commitments

Georgian Parliamentary Chairman Davit Bakradze said that the fact that Russia had withdrawn its forces from the areas adjacent to breakaway South Ossetia and Abkhazia did not mean that Russia had fully met its commitments.

“The six-point [ceasefire] agreement unconditionally envisages the return to the August 7 status quo,” Bakradze told reporters. “August 7 means the withdrawal of Russian forces from the conflict zones of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region; it means the withdrawal of Russian forces from Kodori and Akhalgori and it also means that Russia should withdraw its additional forces from the entire territory of Georgia.”

He said the Georgian authorities would raise the issue during talks with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who will be visiting Georgia on October 9-10 to assess the withdrawal process on the ground.

Russia pulled out its forces and removed most of its checkpoint from the areas adjacent to breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia on October 8. But some Russian checkpoints still remain in the Akhalgori district and in the village of Perevi in the Sachkhere district. This village is located near the administrative border with South Ossetia.

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