Russia Denies South Ossetia Pullout Under Way

Russia said today that a withdrawal of troops from the separatist-held Georgian region of South Ossetia was "being considered", but denied reports that the pullout had begun.

The commander of Russian forces in Georgia said earlier that some troops were moving out of South Ossetia. Speaking outside the strategic Georgian city of Gori, Major General Vyachislav Borisov told the Associated Press that a "planned withdrawal" approved by the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, was under way.

Minutes later, a spokesman for the Russian defence ministry said a withdrawal was under consideration but had not yet started.

The South Ossetian interior minister, Mikhail Mindzayev, speaking by phone from the Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, also denied a withdrawal was under way. Alexander Lomaia, the head of Georgia's national security council, said Russian tanks remained in Gori and were "moving deeper" within the country.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, who held talks with Medvedev on Friday, was traveling to Georgia today to meet President Mikhail Saakashvili amid western diplomatic efforts to end the crisis.

Yesterday, Medvedev signed a ceasefire agreement to end the bloody 10-day-old war, but gave no clear indication of when he would begin to withdraw Russian troops.

In a snub to the United States, which has demanded that Moscow remove its armed forces from Georgia immediately, Medvedev said the Russian military would remain until "extra security measures" were in place.

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, gave no timetable for a pullout. He said Moscow would withdraw once security measures had been carried out in the conflict zone - the breakaway enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Last night, the US president, George Bush, cautiously welcomed Russia's apparent commitment. He described the ceasefire deal, also signed by Saakashvili on Friday, as a "helpful step". Bush reaffirmed his commitment to Georgia's battered territorial integrity, saying the issue was not up for debate.The British foreign secretary, David Miliband, praised the ceasefire move but said he was "concerned" by reports of continuing Russian military action.

Yesterday, Georgia claimed Russia was still destroying its civilian and military infrastructure. It said Russian soldiers had blown up a railway line near the town of Kaspi, outside Tbilisi - severing the last railway link between the east and west of the country. Moscow denied this.

Russian military helicopters also attacked Borjomi national park - setting fire to huge areas of protected forest, Georgian officials said. Borjomi, a popular spa town since Tsarist times, is home to endangered species, including bears.

Medvedev signed yesterday's agreement in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, 20km from the border with Abkhazia, Georgia's second breakaway province. Analysts said they expected Russia to absorb Abkhazia and South Ossetia into the Russian Federation - possibly within days. Both territories are likely to hold referendums calling for a formal association with Russia.

The six-point ceasefire agreement, which was drafted by the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, in his role as EU president, authorizes Russia to carry out "additional security measures on a temporary basis" until an international peacekeeping force arrives in Georgia. This requires a UN resolution.

There are growing claims of atrocities committed by irregular militias, to which the Russian forces are accused of turning a blind eye. The Observer has witnessed half a dozen assaults and robberies of civilians and journalists by mercenaries in the past five days.