Russia expects Georgia to accept settlement principles

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-15 23:12

MOSCOW -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday Russia expects Georgia to give its written consent to the principles for settling the conflict between Georgia and its breakaway region of South Ossetia, the Interfax news agency reported.

"Now these principles should be accepted by Georgia and need to be followed, with guarantees from Russia, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE. I hope this will happen in the near future. We expect relevant information," Medvedev was quoted by Interfax as saying at a press conference after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Sochi.

US President George W. Bush Friday urged Russia to honor a ceasefire commitment with Georgia, saying that Moscow must respect Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Moscow must honor its commitment to withdraw its invading forces from all Georgian territory," Bush said in a statement at the White House.

"Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected," he said.

Bush also said that "a contentious relationship with Russia is not in America's interest."

On Wednesday, Bush sent US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to France to help the diplomatic efforts, and then to Georgia to show US solidarity with the country.

Rice is expected to brief him on the situation of Georgia Saturday, Bush said. Georgia began a military action against South Ossetia's forces last week in an attempt to re-establish control over the breakaway region.

In response, Russian troops moved into the region to fight Georgian forces. On Tuesday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced an end to military operations in South Ossetia after meeting his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy.