TBILISI, Georgia (CNN) — Russian troops appeared to be handing over a key Georgian city Thursday, U.S. officials said, warning that any further military action from Moscow aimed at Georgia could hurt American-Russian relations for years to come.
Senior U.S. General James Cartwright told a Pentagon briefing that Russian forces seemed to be complying with an internationally-mediated cease-fire to end a territorial conflict over the breakaway Georgian territory of South Ossetia.
We see them generally complying and moving back into a position where they can make their exit in an orderly fashion, Cartwright said.
About 200 Russian troops are in Gori, a strategic city about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, a U.S. defense official earlier told CNN.
The official also said Russian forces have been in control of Georgia’s Black Sea port of Poti with a naval infantry unit that was put ashore several days ago.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has been charged with a major humanitarian mission to Georgia, warned that U.S.-Russian relations could be hurt for years to come but ruled out any U.S. military action in the region.
The conflict in Georgia began late last week when Tbilisi launched a military incursion into South Ossetia in an effort to rout separatis rebels.
Russia — which supports the separatists, many of whom claim Russian citizenship — responded the next day, sending tanks across the border into the province. The conflict quickly spread to parts of Georgia and to Abkhazia, another breakaway region..
Concern beyond Georgia’s borders prompted European leaders, spearheaded by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, to mediate a cease-fire deal and U.S. President Bush to offer humanitarian support.
Analysts see the conflict as a gamble initiated by Georgia, which is seeking EU and NATO membership, to test the strength of its Western allies in the face of Russia’s unwillingness to see the West encroaching on its doorstep. iReport.com: How is the Russia-Georgia conflict affecting you?
In five days of fighting, both sides accused the other of targeting civilians, with casualty reports in the thousands. Many more people have fled the fighting into Russia and Georgia, leaving heavily bombarded towns and cities deserted. Watch rescuers search for survivors of the fighting
Despite Tuesday’s cease-fire deal, accusations of ongoing hostilities have continued on both sides, and Russia’s incursion into undisputed Georgian territory has adding to confusion fueled doubts that a quick solution to the conflict can be found.
Russian Gen. Nikolai Uvarov told CNN the handover of Gori was under way right now and would be finished later Thursday.
He said Russia had invaded the city beyond the borders of South Ossetia because it is Georgia’s main military base and an arms munition storage there had been left unattended.
Meanwhile Russia’s deputy chief of general staff, Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, said a withdrawal plan to pull troops from the breakaway region had yet to be approved by Russia’s defense ministry or its president, Dmitry Medvedev.
It is not easy to turn around the existing [forces] by 180 degrees, Nogovitsyn said.
President Bush, who has expressed his deep concern about the situation, has sent Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to meet with European Union leaders in France Thursday. She will then head to Tbilisi. Watch Bush pledge unwavering support for Georgia
During a Moscow visit by the leaders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia , Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Georgia’s current borders were limited — an indication that the two breakaway regions may never agree to rejoin it. Watch more on aid for Georgia
All three voiced their unity against what Abkhazian leader Sergey Bagapsh called those aggressors from Georgia.
South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity compared Georgia’s initial assault on the region’s capital Tskhinvali — which prompted the Russian invasion — to Germany’s attempt to seize Stalingrad during World War II.
Tskhinvali has become the Stalingrad of the Caucusus, Kokoity said at a joint news conference. Watch more on withdrawal of Russian troops
Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili suggested Russia invaded his country to establish control over the former Soviet republic, where a major oil pipeline passes through. View a map of the region
The fact that the biggest number of bombs fell on purely economic and civilian targets clearly indicated that was a premeditated thing and it had nothing to do only with Abkhazia or South Ossetia, Saakashvili said at a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He questioned why Russia attacked Georgia’s oil pipelines which, Saakashvili said, don’t have any military significance.
Why would one attack them unless there is some other purpose?
Erdogan’s visit to Georgia is part of a flurry of diplomacy aimed at stemming the Georgia-Russia conflict, which erupted last week.
Georgia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Russian troops were moving back into Poti, where the Russians had bombed targets including a military installation and ships.
Russian peacekeeping troops were also in the western Georgian city of Zugdidi, just outside Abkhazia. Video showed the Russians — clearly wearing the blue helmets which signify their peacekeeper status — at the official government residence in the town.
U.S. officials said it believed Russia may have 15,000 or more troops in the region, between 5,000 and 7,000 more than when the fighting began.
Russia’s Lavrov said Russia’s operations were about peace-enforcement in respect of Georgia, which violates all of its obligations.
International agreements signed in the early 1990s allow Russian peacekeepers to maintain a presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia as part of a force including Georgians and South Ossetians. Watch more on Russia’s possible ambitions
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The outgoing world number one was unable to find his rhythm in their quarterfinal clash, slipping to a 6-4 7-6 loss to Blake, who will now face Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez in the last four.
