Russian troops pull out of Georgian port region

Russian troops withdrew from the region around Georgia's Black Sea port of Poti on Saturday, within a Sept. 15 deadline set for the first phase of a pullback brokered by France.

Georgia's interior ministry confirmed the Russian withdrawal from five key posts they held in the west of the country.

"I can confirm that the five Russian checkpoints on the Poti-Senaki axis have been removed. The Russian troops are heading towards Abkhazia," Georgian interior ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili told AFP.

A Reuters reporter saw troops in armored personnel carriers (APC) and trucks pull out from positions on the outskirts of Poti after dawn. The reporter said Russian forces had also left another three positions on the way to nearby Senaki.

Russia sent forces deep into Georgia last month after repelling an attempt by Tbilisi to retake the breakaway, pro-Russian South Ossetia region.

On Monday, Moscow agreed to withdraw its troops from "security zones" inside Georgia around South Ossetia and a second breakaway region, Abkhazia, within a month.

The deal, brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on behalf of the European Union, included a commitment to pull out by Sept. 15 from "monitoring posts" in the Poti region, where an oil and dry grain shipment port is considered vital to the Georgian economy.

"This is an example of Europe being united, and the aggressor having to retreat," Georgian National Security Council Secretary Kakha Lomaia told Reuters. "I'm optimistic the other troops will be withdrawn," he said.

Russia followed up Monday's pullback deal a day later by saying it would station about 7,600 troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, both of which the Kremlin recognized last month as independent states.

Moscow's intervention in neighboring Georgia, an ex-Soviet republic that has angered Moscow by pushing for membership of NATO, drew widespread international condemnation.