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Confusion over Russian troop withdrawal

On August 17, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated that all but 500 Russian troops would be pulled out of Georgia on Thursday and Friday.

But Russian troops that stormed into Georgia two weeks ago showed little sign of movement Thursday. A checkpoint backed by a tank continued to block the main road from the capital Tbilisi to South Ossetia, and an AFP reporter on the border of Russia and Georgia saw little military traffic leaving South Ossetia.

Late Thursday, Washington insisted on an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia. However, conflicting statements from Russian officials throw a shadow on an exact date.

A senior Russian commander said on Thursday that it would require 10 days to withdraw troops sent to reinforce Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia. Later, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced that the troop withdrawal from Georgia would be completed on Friday. 

Under a French-brokered peace plan signed on August 16, Russian forces are to withdraw to their pre-conflict positions and Georgian forces to return to their permanent bases by August 22. However, an unspecified number of Russians will be allowed to remain in South Ossetia as "peacekeepers" - a role they previously shared with Georgian troops prior to this month's conflict.

Georgia on August 8 launched a military offensive against pro-Russian breakaway South Ossetia -- which unilaterally declared its independence after the fall of the Soviet Union -- in order to regain control. The Georgian operation failed after Moscow intervened, sending troops, tanks and warplanes into South Ossetia to defend Russian citizens in the breakaway republic.

Ossetians gather to show unity with Russia

Meanwhile, about 1,000 people, including village elders, fiery orators and world famous orchestra conductor Valery Gergiev, gathered in Tskhinvali, the capital of Georgia's breakaway province South Ossetia, to express steadfast solidarity with Russia.

Separatist leader Eduard Kokoity made a firebrand speech at the event, criticising pro-Western Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and allies like the United States and ex-Soviet Ukraine. Kokoity reaffirmed South Ossetia’s desire to be independent from Georgia. "I have already prepared an address to the president of the Russian Federation ... and to the heads of state of the international community, with a request to recognise our independence," Kokoity said.

The recognition of independence is considered as a hopeful first step for an eventual integration of South Ossetia with their protector Russia.

A similar situation was observed Thursday in Abkhazia, another Georgian breakaway province. Thousands gathered in Sukhumi, Abkhazia’s capital, to demand Russian recognition of their independence.

Moscow has indicated it may give recognition to both provinces, and Russia's upper house of parliament is to meet on the issue Monday.

Russia freezes NATO cooperation, circulates own version of UN resolution

Also on Thursday, NATO confirmed that Russia was halting military cooperation with the Alliance.

The announcement was expected, as, on Tuesday, NATO convened an emergency meeting in Brussels after which Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer stated that NATO could not hold "business as usual with Russia" as Moscow was “not respecting the plan approved by President Medvedev”.

The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the situation.