Russia must "get out of Georgia"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia should stop trying to "wiggle out" of its August commitment to withdraw its troops from Georgia and get out of the country, the United States said on Wednesday.

The remarks by State Department spokesman Sean McCormack were some of the strongest in Washington's string of demands for Moscow to honour an internationally negotiated ceasefire that ended Russia's brief August war with Georgia.

"These guys are trying, at every turn, trying to wiggle out of a commitment they made," McCormack said.

"We've seen it since August and it continues. They need to get out of Georgia. And they need to stop finding excuses" to stay, he said,

McCormack made his comments in response to a question about Russia's accusations that European Union leaders had distorted a deal on deployment of international ceasefire monitors in Georgia.

McCormack said Washington was also concerned about Russia's announcement on Tuesday that it planned to station around 7,600 troops in Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia -- more than twice the number based in the two regions before the war.

"That of course would be a violation of the ceasefire they signed in August," which called for the Russian troops to return to pre-conflict positions, McCormack said.

"Russia, the government, the troops need to abide by their international commitments," he said.

Russian troops routed Georgian forces in a brief war last month after Georgia tried to recapture South Ossetia.

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Doina Chiacu)