Medvedev orders end to military operation in Georgia

Moscow: The leaders of France and Russia agreed on a formula on Tuesday to end the conflict in Georgia and the French president said the EU could deploy peacekeepers there if all sides agreed.

Speaking at a Kremlin news conference, Russian President Dmitry Medve-dev said he and his French counterpart Nicolas Sar-kozy had agreed on a six-point plan to end the fighting that included renunciation of force and troop withdrawals. It also forsees the opening of an "international discussion" on the future status of South Ossetia, where fighting has raged since last week, and another rebel Georgian province protected by Russia, Abkhazia.

The plan "is a good basis for solving the problem, getting out of the dramatic situation that has arisen," Medvedev said. Sarkozy said he had been reassured personally by Medvedev that Russian forces had "no intention" of remaining in Georgia. He also raised the possibility that the European Union could deploy peacekeepers in the region. In a first US reaction, Washington's envoy to the region, Matthew Bryza, termed the Russian move "extremely positive".

The announcments came as Georgia said it had filed a lawsuit against Russia at the International Court of Justice for ethnic cleansing. Separately, International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he had been contacted about the conflict and may launch a preliminary investigation.

Despite Moscow's pledge to halt military action, Georgia said Russia was still bombing towns and villages. A huge crowd outside the parliament in Tbilisi hailed President Mikhail Saak-ashvili as a hero for defending his country against aggression from Moscow.

In the conflict zone, a series of sudden, unexpected explosions yesterday in the town of Gori killed at least five civilians. Television footage and pictures suggested the blasts were caused by mortars, although it was not clear who fired.

Further north in Tskhinvali, houses were still burning yesterday, surrounded by orchards and chestnut groves, after the battles of the last week. Russian tanks and armoured personnel carriers patrolled the almost deserted streets.