Georgian President Saakashvili doubts Russian withdrawal

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he does not believe Russia will fulfill its promise to withdraw from most of the country in the coming days. Saakashvili said Russia's army is thinning out its presence in some of the towns it occupies, but is seizing new territory in the ex-Soviet republic. "What we're seeing now is a clear regrouping and also, again, some kind of deception campaign, saying, 'Look, we're moving out,"' Saakashvili told the AP in an interview. Russia sent tanks and troops into Georgia after Georgia launched a heavy artillery barrage Aug. 7 on the separatist, pro-Russian province of South Ossetia. Russian forces moved deep into Georgia, where they continued to hold positions as close as 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the capital, Tbilisi.