About 500 Hardware Pieces To Be Withdrawn From Russian Military Base

ABOUT 500 HARDWARE PIECES TO BE WITHDRAWN FROM RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES IN GEORGIA IN 2006

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Business and Financial Newswire
May 19, 2006 Friday

Over 500 hardware pieces and in excess of 2,000 tonnes of materiel
and ammunition will be withdrawn to Russia from its military bases
in Georgia in 2006, Army General Alexander Baranov, commander of
the North Caucasus Military District, said in an interview with the
Krasnaya Zvezda daily, published on Friday.

“If Georgia observes all its commitments as outlined in the agreements
signed, we will guarantee the withdrawal in the timeframes set. We
must implement the agreements reached by the heads of states in a
civilized manner, and we are ready for that,” he said.

Compliant with the agreements reached a quota has been granted for
400 railway cars to carry Russian weapons and materiel from Georgia
into Azerbaijan, Baranov noted.

He added that part of the equipment will be handed over to the 102nd
military base in Armenia to increase its combat potential. “The first
column of tracked and wheeled vehicles will march there soon,” he said.

In response to questions, he said that the construction of
infrastructure for two mountaineer brigades in Dagestan and
Karachayevo- Cherkessia should be completed in the first half of 2007.

“The deployment of these brigades is an important military and
political objective of the country, because now we have to bring
forces to the republics from other regions of the country when this
is necessary. But soon we will no longer have to do so. Moreover,
the mobile mountaineer brigades will be able to exercise missions
assigned not only inside the responsibility zone, but also wherever
this might be needed,” he said.

Baranov added that the selection of commissioned and non- commissioned
officers for the brigades will start in 2007. “I can reassure you
that the brigades will be manned with best trained servicemen, with
mountain climbing qualifications, and, which is even more important,
most advanced weapons,” he said.