Despite press reports that Sarkozy threatened to walk out of the stormy talks, held in the neo-Gothic Meiendorf castle near Moscow, the two sides finally managed to adopt a so-called agreement on the 'Implementation of the plan of 12 August 2008'. The plan foresees a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgian territory proper (which excludes Abkhazia and South Ossetia) within 10 days of the deployment of "international mechanisms", including at least 200 EU observers. The EU contingent will replace Russian peacekeepers and are scheduled to arrive on 1 October.
The Russian President recognises the EU's role of "guarantor of peace", according to a press release from the Presidency website.
"The parties agreed that as guarantor of the principle of non-aggression, the European Union will actively prepare the deployment of an observer mission in addition to the existing observer mechanisms," says the document.
Unresolved issues
Despite the significant advances, Sarkozy's frustration showed at times during a joint press conference with Medvedev, also attended by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Asked if he had effectively allowed Russia to alter Georgia's borders by leaving the two disputed provinces out of the deal, Sarkozy retorted:
"All has not been resolved. We are aware of that. But what has been resolved has been considerable." Hailing the deal, he said both the EU and Russia had avoided "a cold war that we don't need".
For his part, Medvedev blamed the United States for the crisis. Georgia, he said, initially "received the blessing of one government. I can't say how it was given, whether through direct instruction or tacit approval. But there is no doubt that it happened," Medvedev said.
The Russian president also made clear that Russia's withdrawal of forces depended on Georgia signing a "non-aggression pact" with South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Georgian intransigence
The EU trio then flew to Tbilisi, where it was received by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. While welcoming the EU mediation as "a step forward", Saakashvili reiterated that his country would not agree to cede Abkhazia and South Ossetia and that the Russian military "should get the hell out".
"We have long way ahead towards restoration of Georgia's territorial integrity. There is no way Georgia will ever give up a piece of its sovereignty, a piece of its territory," Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili also announced that a summit focused on reconstruction would take place in Tbilisi next month with the backing of Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Meanwhile, Georgia and Russia carried their dispute over the breakaway provinces to the International Court of Justice in The Hague on 8 September, as three days of hearings began over Georgia's request for an injunction ordering Russia to stop "terrorising" ethnic Georgians and allow refugees to return to their homes.
