Russian troops start pullout from Georgia. [Xinhua]

Russian troops and armored vehicles started to pull out from the city of Gori Monday afternoon under the terms of a French-brokered peace plan.

It was reported earlier that Russian forces had started to withdraw from Tskhinvali, capital of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, toward the Russian region of North Ossetia.

Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of Russia's General Staff, confirmed in Moscow that the withdrawal of Russian troops began Monday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy during telephone talks Sunday that Russian forces would start their withdrawal Monday.

Russian troops start pullout from Georgia. [Xinhua]

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2008)