Georgians wait for Russian troop withdrawal

GORI // Hungry and uncertain, beleaguered residents in Gori and other occupied Georgian cities waited anxiously today for Russian forces to begin their promised pullout from Georgia after a short but intense war that shocked the West. The Russian president Dmitri Medvedev has promised the withdrawal under terms of an EU-backed cease-fire agreement, but how quickly the troops will leave is unclear, as is exactly where they will redeploy. The agreement calls for troops to withdraw to positions they held before fighting broke out August 7, but also provides for unspecified extra security measures such as patrol rights for the soldiers Russia calls peacekeepers. Russian troops and tanks have controlled a wide swath of Georgia for days, including the country's main east-west highway, on which Gori sits. The RIA-Novosti news agency reported that some Russian military vehicles were today heading out of the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali toward Russia, but there was no official announcement of troop movements. Russia is certain to keep some troops in South Ossetia - which wants to separate from Georgia - and the region's president Eduard Kokoity on Monday asked Russia to establish a permanent base there, the agency said. "I think the Russians will pull out, but will damage Georgia strongly," Tbilisi resident Givi Sikharulidze said. "Georgia will survive, but Russia has lost its credibility in the eyes of the world." Top American officials said Washington would rethink its relationship with Moscow after its military drive deep into its much smaller neighbor and called for a swift Russian withdrawal. "I think there needs to be a strong, unified response to Russia to send the message that this kind of behavior, characteristic of the Soviet period, has no place in the 21st century," the US defence secretary Robert Gates said yesterday. But neither Mr Gates nor Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, would be specific about what punitive actions the US or the international community might take. Ms Rice, who was flying to Europe for talks Tuesday with Nato allies about what message the West should send to Russia, said Russia can't use "disproportionate force" against its neighbour and still be welcomed into the halls of international institutions. "It's not going to happen that way," she said. "Russia will pay a price." The French president Nicolas Sarkozy warned Mr Medvedev of "serious consequences" in Moscow's relations with the EU if Russia does not comply with the cease-fire accord. Mr Medvedev had told Mr Sarkozy that Russian troops would begin pulling back on today, headed toward South Ossetia. He stopped short of promising they would return to Russia. *AP