By Prensa Latina,
Moscow : Russian Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov lashed at US criticism on its involvement in South Ossetia conflict after Georgia’s offensive against it.
Lavrov said that in his Tuesday visit to Moscow French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the Russian intervention in South Ossetia that proclaimed independence in 1993, a peace mission.
Lavrov said the starting points of a framework agreement to end hostilities are withdrawal of the Georgian troops to their barracks would be followed by Russian exit from Ossetia.
Russian Chief of Staff Anatoli Nogovitsyn said Georgian units began to withdraw, though not massively, from South Ossetia whose authorities report some 2,000 fatalities, mostly civilians.
Itar-Tass news agency says Russian military sources denied an attack involving some 50 Russian armored vehicles and peace troops in Gori, Georgia, the nearest to South Ossetia,
European Union High Representative Javier Solana said at meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels that the key steps were to secure and keep up cease fire to advance a political accord.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called good idea to send an European mission to the Caucasus of controllers, observers and mediators but refuses to call it peace mission.