Georgia await Russian ceasefire signature

Uncertainty remained in the troubled region of Georgia today as a ceasefire agreement awaited signature by the Russian president.

The agreement, reluctantly signed by Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili the day before, would be a definitive step toward ending the fighting that broke out last week, if Russian president Dmitry Medvedev also signs it.

The Kremlin said he will, but declined to say when.

The agreement calls for both forces to pull back to positions they held before fighting erupted on August 8 after Georgia launched a massive barrage to try to take control of the Russian-backed separatist region of South Ossetia.

The Russian army quickly overwhelmed the forces of its small US-backed neighbour and Moscow's troops drove deep into Georgia.

The Russian seizure of territory, including the strategic city of Gori about 20 miles from Igoeti, raised fears that Russia aimed for a permanent occupation of the country that once was part of its empire.

However the ceasefire calls for Russian troops to pull back to positions they held in South Ossetia before the fighting, while allowing limited Russian patrols in Georgia proper.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said today it had received the signed document from Georgia, the Interfax news agency reported, an apparent indication the process was moving forward. However until the truce comes into effect, Russian troops' intentions were hard to read.

Shallow foxholes being gouged out of the earth at Igoeti by a small contingent of Russian soldiers today could indicate intentions to stay awhile. They could be intended as defensive positions for the Russians to guard their comrades as they withdraw.

Farther up the road toward Gori, a Russian armoured personnel carrier sat behind a newly made earthen embankment, and other military vehicles were at roadside, camouflaged by tree branches.

In Tskhinvali, the heavily damaged South Ossetian capital, refugees have begun returning, and today many were sweeping up glass and debris from the fighting.

Russian Emergency Situations Ministry troops were erecting a camp near the scorched shell of the South Ossetian parliament building. For the first time in days, there were more cars on the street than tanks.

In Gori, the Russian presence is strategically critical: Gori sits along Georgia's only significant east-west highway, which means occupying the city would allow the Russians effectively to split the nation in two.

As in many parts of Georgia, aid has been slow to come. On Thursday, staff from the United Nations refugee agency and its World Food Program hoped to enter Gori to assess whether it was safe to deliver humanitarian aid.

The situation turned ugly. South Ossetian militiamen appeared, pointing weapons, and began shoving civilians and shouting at people to leave the area.

Georgian police had come to enter Gori but turned back when confrontation developed between the Russian military and the Georgian army.

Yesterday Russian military vehicles were blocking the eastern road into the city, although they allowed in one Georgia bus filled with loaves of bread.