GEORGIA, RUSSIA COORDINATE COMPLETION OF BASES’ PULLOUT

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
May 1, 2007 Tuesday 01:14 PM EST

Deputy chief of the Georgian armed forces staff Vladimir Chachibaya
and commander of the Russian forces in the South Caucasus Andrei
Popov have coordinated a plan of the complete withdrawal of Russian
military bases from Georgia.

"Georgia is ready to give comprehensive assistance to the completion
of the Russian bases’ withdrawal," the Georgian Defense Ministry said
on Tuesday.

It is planned to pull out the Russian military base in Akhalkalaki
by July 1, while the Batumi base will close down by October 1, 2008.

The withdrawal of military hardware and property from the Batumi base
will resume on May 15, Popov told Itar-Tass. "Eleven trains will carry
away military hardware and property to Russia, while four planes will
bring the base’s property to the Russian military base in Armenia’s
Gyumri this year," he said.

Some property from the Akhalkalaki base will be taken away to Russia
by two trains on May 17 and 24.