Moscow/Tskhinvali, Georgia - Russia has pulled troops out of all of its checkpoints inside Georgia around the breakaway region of South Ossetia, the head of the Russian peacekeeping forces said on Wednesday.
Moscow - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday said an arms embargo against Georgia would top Russia's agenda for peace talks set for Geneva on October 15.
"It is our conviction that an international embargo on sales of offensive weapons to Georgia is an urgent step," Lavrov was quoted by news agency Interfax as saying on Wednesday.
The Geneva peace conference was agreed under an EU-brokered ceasefire negotiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev that ended Russia's five-day war with Georgia.
Moscow, Tskhinvali, Georgia - Russia will pull out on Wednesday from its checkpoints inside Georgia surrounding the breakaway region of South Ossetia, the head of the Russian peacekeeping forces said.
"We plan to complete the pull-out by the end of today," Marat Kulakhmetov, commander of Russian peacekeeping forces, was quoted by news agency Interfax as saying in the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali.
Moscow - Russia's military said Tuesday that its pullout from the buffer zone around Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia would get underway on Wednesday.
In a report by the Interfax agency, Russian forces commanding General Marat Kulakhmetov said the withdrawal would be completed within 24 hours.
"During the first half of the day tomorrow we will start with the planned withdrawal of our peacekeeping soldiers from all six observation posts," he said.
New York - The conflict involving Russian and Georgian troops over South Ossetia has remained unsettled, influencing the determination of the role of the UN military observer mission in the area, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday.
But he urged the council to extend the mandate of the small UN force until mid-February while discussion and arrangements would bring some clarity to the situation.
Brussels - The European Union's top foreign-policy official, Javier Solana, on Wednesday hailed Russian moves to pull out of parts of Georgia.
Moscow/Tskhinvali, Georgia - Russia has pulled troops out of all of its checkpoints inside Georgia around the breakaway region of South Ossetia, the head of the Russian peacekeeping forces said on Wednesday.
Moscow - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday said an arms embargo against Georgia would top Russia's agenda for peace talks set for Geneva on October 15.
Moscow, Tskhinvali, Georgia - Russia will pull out on Wednesday from its checkpoints inside Georgia surrounding the breakaway region of South Ossetia, the head of the Russian peacekeeping forces said.
Moscow - Russia's military said Tuesday that its pullout from the buffer zone around Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia would get underway on Wednesday.
New York - The conflict involving Russian and Georgian troops over South Ossetia has remained unsettled, influencing the determination of the role of the UN military observer mission in the area, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday.
