Medvedev: EU Monitors To Deploy to Georgia

MOSCOW — European Union monitors will deploy to regions surrounding South Ossetia and Abkhazia by next month and Russian troops will pull out after that, President Medvedev said today.Speaking after talks with visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr. Medvedev said that 200 EU monitors will be deployed to South Ossetia no later than Oct. 1. International talks on the conflict in Georgia would be held beginning Oct. 15 at Geneva.Mr. Medvedev alleged that Georgia’s leader, Mikhail Saakashvili, had got “direct orders, or silent approval” from America to launch an “idiotic action” against South Ossetia.“People died and now all of Georgia must pay for that,” Mr. Medvedev said.Russian tanks and troops entered South Ossetia after Georgian forces began an offensive to gain control of the pro-Russian territory, which has had de-facto independence for more than 15 years. The Russians quickly repelled the soldiers and drove further into Georgia.Nearly a month after the five-day war, Russian troops remain entrenched deep inside Georgian territory. Georgia and the West have accused Russia of failing to honor its pledge to withdraw its troops to positions held before the fighting broke out Aug. 7. The dispute has plunged relations between Moscow and the West to near Cold War levels of animosity.But Russia says those troops are peacekeepers and that they are allowed under the accord to help maintain security around Georgia’s breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.Moscow has recognized the two regions as independent states, a move denounced in Georgia and abroad. The regions make up roughly 20% of Georgia’s territory — and include miles of prime coastline along the Black Sea.Mr. Medvedev said Russia would not revisit that decision.“This is a reality with which all our partners, including our EU partners, will have to reckon with,” Mr. Medvedev said.He insisted that Russia is complying with terms of the cease-fire that Mr. Sarkozy negotiated last month. He said Russian troops would pull out of the Black Sea port of Poti and nearby areas in the next seven days, but only if Georgia signed a pledge to not use force against Abkhazia.Mr. Sarkozy suggested that the talks today were difficult but “what was accomplished today, it was rather significant” — referring in particular to the decision to send European observers.Mr. Sarkozy was slated to fly to the Georgian capital later today to meet with Mr. Saakashvili and present the update to the cease-fire plan.

Medvedev: EU Monitors To Deploy to Georgia

Medvedev: EU Monitors To Deploy to Georgia

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