U.S. demands Russia withdraw from Georgia "now"

By Tabassum Zakaria

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - Russia must withdraw its military forces from Georgia "now," the White House demanded on Thursday, saying Moscow was in violation of a commitment to do so made earlier this month.

Russia has shown no signs of a full-scale withdrawal of forces from Georgia and has reportedly informed NATO it wants to cease military ties, U.S. officials said.

"For all practical purposes, military-to-military cooperation had really already been suspended with the Russians," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

"NATO cancelled some exercises. And I can't imagine a circumstance right now that we would engage in military cooperation with the Russians until the situation in Georgia is resolved," he said in Texas, where President George W. Bush is at his ranch.

Bush and Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili spoke by telephone on Thursday and Bush told him the United States was seeking Russia's compliance with the agreement to withdraw and for "an end to their siege of Georgia," Johndroe said.

Under a French-brokered cease-fire agreement, Moscow had been expected to pull troops out of Georgia, but Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said "there has not been much evidence of any significant Russian withdrawals."

"Russia is in violation of the commitments that they have made," Johndroe said.

The crisis erupted on August 7-8 when Georgia, which has a border with Russia, tried to retake control of South Ossetia, a pro-Moscow region which broke with Tbilisi in 1992.