Moscow's troops continue to operate deep inside the Caucasus republic The Russian commander of frontline forces in Georgia has told the BBC that a gradual withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia is under way. Maj Gen Vyachislav Borisov said he had given the order for Russian soldiers to be replaced by peacekeepers. A BBC correspondent said he saw Russian forces in position 35km (22 miles) from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on the road to Gori, close to South Ossetia. Russia said it did not have a timetable for a full withdrawal from Gori. Russia still controls almost all of the main arterial highway running east-west through Georgia, and the main towns along the route. See map of the region Russia's claimed redeployment comes a day after Moscow signed a French-brokered peace plan to end the crisis. Conflict between Georgia and Russia erupted on 7 August when Georgia launched an assault to retake its Russian-backed separatist province of South Ossetia. It led to a massive counter-offensive by Russia, with Russia moving deeper into Georgian territory. The US has demanded Russian troops pull out, but Moscow says it will only withdraw from Georgian territory once extra security measures are in place. International attention French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who mediated the peace deal on behalf of the European Union, has warned Moscow that the ceasefire bars its forces from any "major urban area" in Georgia. However, in a letter addressed to his Georgian counterpart, Mikhail Saakashvili, Mr Sarkozy said Russian troops did have the right to patrol "a few kilometres" beyond the conflict zone in South Ossetia. But he underlined that clauses in the agreement permitting Russia to implement additional security measures "in no way limit or put in danger the freedom of movement and travel along the road and rail axes of Georgia" and could not be applied in any towns or cities. PEACE PLAN No more use of force Stop all military actions for good Free access to humanitarian aid Georgian troops return to their places of permanent deployment Russian troops to return to pre-conflict positions International talks about future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
Russia in control and on move Georgians rally behind leader Day-by-day: Georgia-Russia crisis "I am particularly thinking of the city of Gori," he said, which is the largest town close to the South Ossetia border. The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse, in Gori, says there is a much reduced Russian military presence in the town compared with Saturday - though Russian soldiers still control the town's key entry and exit points. He says that even if Russian peacekeepers replace soldiers, local residents say it will not make much difference. Meanwhile, US President George W Bush has reiterated his staunch support for ally Georgia. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is due to hold talks with Mr Saakashvili in Tbilisi later on Sunday. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has called on the Russian authorities to immediately take steps to end attacks by South Ossetian militias on ethnic Georgians in Gori and to allow vital humanitarian aid to reach vulnerable civilians. "The Russian military has effective control of the Gori region, making it responsible for the security and well-being of all people living there," said Rachel Denber, HRW's Europe deputy director. Russian control The BBC's Richard Galpin, who has spent the past two days travelling from the Black Sea port of Poti to Tbilisi, says Georgian forces seem to be surrendering control of the highway to the Russians. The UN puts the number of those displaced in the conflict at 118,000 In the western town of Senaki, our correspondent saw large numbers of Russian troops moving around on Saturday. Further east in Zestafoni, he witnessed the panic of local residents as the word spread that the Russian army was approaching. Cars sped away from roadblocks set up by the Georgian police, the drivers realising their hopes of reaching Tbilisi had been dashed. When the Russians arrived, they stayed only a few minutes after apparently being told there was no military base to take over. Our correspondent says he then followed the Russian troops as they entered the central town of Khashuri, where they were given an escort by the local police. He spoke to one Russian soldier who said he believed their final destination would be the Georgian capital, although the Kremlin flatly denied this. Another soldier said he expected to be in Georgia for a year. Georgia has meanwhile accused pro-Russian Abkhaz separatist fighters of taking over 13 villages and a hydroelectric power plant. There has so far been no independent confirmation. Security steps Among the six points in the ceasefire deal, both sides agreed to pull back their forces to their positions before hostilities began on 7 August. Diplomats have said that the UN Security Council is expected to vote later on Sunday on a draft resolution formalising the ceasefire agreement. President Bush has said Mr Medvedev's signing of the truce is "hopeful", but that there can be no question that South Ossetia and Abkhazia will remain within Georgian borders, which are internationally recognised. Reports suggest Mr Saakashvili only reluctantly agreed to another of the plan's clauses - international talks about the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel
"Georgia will become a NATO member if it wants to, and it does want to," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an apparent change in Germany's position during her Sunday visit to Tbilisi, Georgia.
Merkel's statement of support for Georgia's NATO membership was one of the strongest yet.
Tbilisi's bid to join NATO is fiercely opposed by Moscow. 

During her meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Merkel stated that Georgia's territorial integrity and its independence have to be respected. After the meeting Merkel said she expected a 'very prompt' withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia.

In a telephone conversation with French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev declared that Russian troops would start their pullout from Georgia on Monday. Medvedev explained that Russian troops would be withdrawing to a buffer zone and then to the breakaway province of South Ossetia. It remains unclear how long the withdrawal will take. Sarkozy warned Medvedev on Sunday of serious consequences and damage to the Russian relations with the EU, if Russia failed to fully implement the peace plan it signed. Earlier this week, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband stated that the EU should reassess its relations with Russia after its aggressive actions in Georgia.

A Russian lawmaker has compared the situation in Georgia to Iraq and the U.S. presence there. Konstantin Kosachev, chair of the Russian parliament's security committee told reporters when asked about the withdrawal plan: "If I would ask you in response to the same question how fast the American forces can leave Iraq, for example, the answer would be as soon as we have guarantees for peace and security there."

At the same time, according to Georgian sources, the Russian troops were occupying 13 Georgian villages, pushing the border of Abkhazia into Georgia proper. Russia's Defence Ministry spokesman denied the report, saying that "Russian peacekeepers have been given no orders to move to these populated areas,". There have also been reports of Russian helicopters setting fire to Georgian National Park near Borzhomi. The Russian Defence Ministry's spokesman expressed his surprise and declared that Russian troops were ready to provide assistance in extinguishing the fire if Georgia made an official request. "It is understandable to us that the Georgian authorities are ready to blame the Russian side for any natural disasters on the territory of Georgia," he said.

Russian troops are still occupying the key towns of Gori, north of Tbilisi, and Senako in the west of Georgia. Far from pulling out, Russian military units are entrenching themselves in new positions deeper into Georgia, according to Daily Telegraph. They have also blown up a strategic Georgian Kaspi railway bridge on the main line connecting the country to its neighbours, essentially severing the last route for freight and trade after Russian soldiers also took control of the Georgian main east-west highway.