Georgia said that Russian troops had promised to leave the key Georgian town of Gori by 8 p.m. (1600 GMT) and remove all checkpoints from the strategically important main road that skirts it.

Georgian National Security Council official Kakha Lomaia said Russian General Vyacheslav Borisov, the commander of Russian forces in the Gori region, had informed him of the plan during a meeting this morning in Gori.

"Let's see what happens," he told reporters.

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