By DPA,
Washington : Russia has not complied with a declared ceasefire that calls for the withdrawal of soldiers on Georgian soil outside of the disputed breakaway regions, the White House said Friday.
“We are not seeing that they are in compliance right now,” Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman, said in Crawford, Texas, where President George W. Bush was vacationing.
“They have not completely withdrawn from areas considered undisputed territory. And they need to do that,” Johndroe said.
Bush spoke on the telephone with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who brokered the ceasefire agreement between Russia and Georgia Aug 11. But Russia has continued to position soldiers outside of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and deep into Georgian territory.
The Georgian government confirmed Friday that Russia has pulled some troops out of key cities but is still manning checkpoints.
Bush has warned Russia that it face consequences on the international stage for invading Georgia. Russian soldiers marched into the country after the Georgian military retaliated against separatist militias in South Ossetia. Fighting quickly spread to Abkhazia.
Russia supports the two regions’ secessionist ambitions.