Russia Rejects UN Call To Pull out of Georgia

Russian tanks patrol the outskirts of Gori, as President Demitry Medvedev delays the withdrawal Photo: AP

From The Telegraph:

Russia has rejected a draft UN resolution demanding it immediately pull out of Georgia, as President Dimitry Medvedev again delayed the withdrawal.

The French-drafted Security Council resolution called for Moscow's forces to retreat to positions they held before the conflict that broke out on August 7 after Georgia attemped to reclaim South Ossetia, a rebel province.

But Moscow insists the ceasefire deal brokered last week by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, allows for its troops to remain in a buffer zone well inside the Georgian side of the South Ossetian border, and that any UN resolution must reflect this.

Read more ....

More News On Russia, The U.N., and Georgia

Russia Rejects New UN Draft on Georgia -- Voice Of America
Russia rejects UN Georgia draft -- BBC News
Russia says troops to leave Georgia by weekend -- AFP
NATO accuses Russia of not honoring agreed cease-fire with Georgia -- CNN
US labels Russia an international outlaw -- ABC News (Australia)
Russia In Partial Troop Pullback From Georgia; Shrugs Off UN, NATO Pressure -- All Headline News

France distorts Georgian peace plan at UN -- Moscow RussiaToday



My Comment:The French and the allies imposed a truce agreement that only the Russians read. Bottom line .... the truce agreement states that the Russian military is permitted to not only stay in the breakaway provinces, but to stay in a buffer zone whose borders are probably ill defined. Instead of living to the spirit of the agreement, they are going to live by what it states.

This is where the disagreement lies. The U.N. draft contains no provisions of a buffer zone, but instead a demand that Russian forces retreat to pre-war borders. This must be causing a great deal of consternation in Moscow.

I personally expect the Russian Army to eventually go back to the pre-war borders .... but they will take their time and they will probably be positioned (according to geography that is advantageous to them)in places that will be in Georgian territory.