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European MPs urge Russian pullout from Georgia

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The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Wednesday urging Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia under a ceasefire agreement with the Caucasus state.
BRUSSELS, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Wednesday urging Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia under a ceasefire agreement with the Caucasus state. (Russian troops return from Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone - Image gallery)

The resolution, which also urges Russia to reduce its peacekeeping presence in the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, was supported by 549 MPs, with 68 opposed and 61 abstaining.

Russia and Georgia fought a brief war after Tbilisi launched in early August an attack aimed at bringing the breakaway pro-Russian region of South Ossetia back under its control. Russia's operation to "force Georgia to peace" was criticized internationally as excessive, and its subsequent decision to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia condemned as "irresponsible."

Russia has withdrawn its regular troops from Georgia, but insists it can maintain checkpoints in security zones near the regions under the ceasefire deal brokered by France. Moscow has also accused Tbilisi of building up troops near South Ossetia.

Lawmakers backed the EU summit's resolution on Monday, urging respect for Georgia's territorial integrity and threatening a delay in crucial partnership talks with Russia if it fails to withdraw from Georgia completely.

European lawmakers also rejected attempts by the second largest, socialist, faction to include remarks to the effect that Georgia was responsible for the outbreak of the conflict.

The proposal was met with applause by many lawmakers, but the chairman chose not to include the verbal remarks in the draft resolution as it had already been put to the vote.

Georgia welcomed the resolution. The European Parliament gave "an absolutely adequate assessment of the events in early August," Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashidze said on Russian radio on Wednesday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expressed his regret in a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, earlier on Wednesday over the European leaders' failure to condemn Georgia's aggression in South Ossetia.

"Russia highlighted the constructive role of France as EU president in the generally balanced resolution, but expressed regret that the document did not contain an acknowledgement of Georgia's aggressive actions as the primary cause of the crisis around South Ossetia and Abkhazia," the Kremlin press office quoted the president as saying.

Medvedev also said that no mention had been made regarding the large numbers of civilian deaths and the mass destruction caused in South Ossetia by Georgia's offensive on August 8.

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