SOCHITBILISI: Russia, on Saturday, rejected the ongoing demands by the U.S. for withdrawal of it's forces from Georgia on grounds that it needed extra security before proceeding with the withdrawals. 

Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev,  who has signed a French-led peace plan endorsed by Georgia and by leaders of the two rebel regions, has ordered extra security measures in the conflict zones. Foreign Minister Serigei Lavrov said the withdrawal of forces would depend on those measure. The nature of those measures has yet to be made clear. 

The United States on Friday demanded that Russia immediately pull out of Russia and accused Moscow of bullyng its southern neighbour by sending in troops and tanks.

The brewing conflict between Georgia and Russia  erupted in to war more than a week ago when Tbilisi launched an assualt to retake its separatist province of South Ossetia. This led Moscow, who supports the rebels, to launch a huge counter-offensive. 

A ceasefire was sighned by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday after a five-hour meeting with visiting U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He denounced Russians as "21st century barbarians."

"Russian forces need to leave Georgia at once. This is no longer 1968," said Rice referring to the August 1968 Soviet-led tank invasion in Czechoclovakia. 

Russia claims that 1,600 civilians died when Georgia stormed South Ossetia; the figure has not been verified.

Georgia says that at least 175 people have been killed, with hundreds more injured. That figure does not include South Ossetia.

Source : Reuters