RUSSIA HAS JUST OVER 2,000 SERVICEMEN LEFT IN GEORGIA – COMMANDER

Interfax News Agency, Russia
11 Oct 06

Moscow, 11 October: Over 2,000 servicemen remain at Russian
military bases located in Georgia’s Batumi and Akhalkalaki and at
the headquarters in Tbilisi, Russian Ground Troops Commander-in-Chief
Army Gen Aleksey Maslov said.

"The bulk of the personnel have been removed, but 2,032 servicemen
and over 3,000 family members remain in Georgia. Some 400 servicemen
will be removed from the headquarters before the end of the year, all
troops will be pulled out from Batumi in 2007 and from Akhalkalaki
by the end of 2008 [as received; in actual fact the withdrawal from
Akhalkalaki is expected to be completed in 2007 and from Batumi in
2008]," Maslov told Interfax-AVN.

The personnel and military hardware being removed form Georgia will
be re-assigned to the 202nd military base in Armenia and to other
bases in Russia.

"For these purposes, we have worked out distribution plans for
officers, warrant officers and privates, as well as for armaments,
military hardware and materiel," he stressed.

Moreover, the Defence Ministry keeps the list of names of all Russian
servicemen in Transcaucasia and their family members who serve in
Georgia and have no apartment of their own.

"Specific measures are being taken to solve this problem. It is
necessary to provide housing to 452 people in 2006-2007," Maslov noted.

He stressed that 156 servicemen have already received apartments this
year, and 105 more servicemen will get them before the end of 2006.

"Another 247 servicemen are to be provided with housing in 2007,"
he said.

Maslov noted that Russian forces stationed on the Georgian territory
are preparing the hardware and materiel for the withdrawal.

"They are also naturally engaged in maintaining routine activity of
our military facilities," he said.