Sarkozy gets ceasefire agreement

CNN:

The Russian and French presidents on Tuesday announced a six-point plan of principles for settling the conflict in Georgia.

"We have not achieved peace yet but we have achieved a provisional cease-fire of hostilities," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.

The points include Russian agreements to conclude all military operations, return Russian armed forces to the line preceding the beginning of operations, and not use force again in Georgia.

In return Georgia would return its armed forces to their normal and permanent locations.

Both sides would provide free access for humanitarian assistance; and international consideration of the issues of South Ossetia and Abkhazia would be undertaken.

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev said earlier that he had ordered an end to military operations against Georgia, but Tbilisi reported more attacks after the statement was made.

Medvedev's announcement came minutes before Sarkozy, head of the European Union, landed in Moscow to negotiate terms for a possible cease-fire.

The two men were joined by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the presidential press service said.

"I have reached a decision to halt the operation to force the Georgian authorities to peace," Medvedev said. "The aggressor has been punished and has incurred very significant losses. Its armed forces are disorganized." Watch Georgia's reaction to halt in fighting »

"The statement on the halt of the military action by Russia is the news we had expected. It's good news," Sarkozy said later, according to an Interfax report.

Meanwhile, thousands of Georgians rallied in the country's capital, Tbilisi, following Medvedev's announcement.

U.S. officials also told CNN it was considering flying aid from bases in Germany to Georgia. There was also consideration being given to sending U.S. Navy ships into the Black Sea to conduct humanitarian relief missions.

...

The fact that there is still some Russian attacks taking place demonstrates how little control the Russian President really has on the situation.

Sarkozy has been diplomatically aggressive. The Russians have been trying to ignore a cease fire agreement and Sarkozy's flying into Moscow made that much harder to do. He does credit for his personal diplomacy.

There is apparently much more to do to tidy up the detritus of this war. Russian conduct in that will be a test of its good faith.