Russia has confirmed that its troops began to leave occupied shares of Georgia this Monday.

According to the Russian general Anatoly Nogovitsy, "the withdrawal of Russian forces of peace began this Monday," but agree with him will still take "several days" to the positions that Russia return to their original positions before the conflict with Georgia, on August 7, as in the ceasefire agreement signed by the two countries with mediation of the European Union.

Despite statements by the Russian general, the BBCs correspondent in Gori, Gabriel Gatehouse, said the Russian forces remain in Igueti to 35 kilometers from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and still control the entry and exit of Gori.

On Friday, Russia had announced that it would begin to transfer control of the city to the Georgian troops, but this Monday is still large presence of Russian military in place.

Overwhelming response

The withdrawal of Russian troops is part of a truce agreement, signed over the weekend by authorities of Georgia and Russia, brokered by the French president, Nicolas Sarkkozy.

On Sunday, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev called Sarkozy to inform you that Russian troops begin to leave Georgia this Monday.

The Russian leader, however, did not specify whether the troops sent to the neighboring country during the conflict returned to Russia, raising suspicions that would be moved to South Ossetia, which could be stationed.

On Monday, the leader of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity, said that asks Russia to install a military base in the separatist region and rejected the presence of international observers.

Kokity said that the Russian citizens in South Ossetia "need to be protected from Georgia."

The Russian president responded by saying that any aggression against Russian citizens will be suppressed with an "overwhelming response".

"We will never allow anyone mate our citizens to escape unpunished," said Medvedev.

European Council

The president of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, who until Sunday was adopting an aggressive tone in its criticism on Russia, started to adopt a more conciliatory.

In a speech broadcast on television this Monday, Saakashvili called on Russia to withdraw its troops from country to "begin the dialogue."

"We request the withdrawal of Russian forces of occupation so that we can begin to reflect on how we can negotiate and avoid the indifference between our countries in definitive."

Until Sunday, Saakashvili was launching repeated verbal attacks against Russia and came to acknowledge the country to make an "ethnic cleansing" in Georgia and other abuses against human rights.

The agreement mediated by Sarkozy, who is in charge of the rotating European Union, stipulates that the two sides close to military activities and return to their original positions before the start of the conflict.

In an opinion column, published in the French newspaper Le Figaro, Sarkozy said that if Russia fails to comply with the agreement "rapidly and completely" he convene a special session of the European Council.

"The withdrawal of troops should be completed without delay," said the president. "For me, this point is not negotiable," said the French leader.