TBILISI. April 2 (Interfax-AVN) - Georgian and Abkhaz representatives signed a protocol on the withdrawal of Georgian troops from Kodori Gorge in Tbilisi on Tuesday.
The sides also agreed on the resumption of the regular patrolling of the area by Russian peacekeepers and UN military observers.
Special envoy of the UN Secretary General Dieter Boden told the press that the protocol is a good prerequisite for the continuation of talks on other aspects of settling the conflict.
He named the return of refugees to Abkhazia and a power sharing agreement between Tbilisi and Sukhumi as priority issues for the upcoming talks.
Georgian presidential envoy to the Kodori Gorge Emzar Kvitsiani said the withdrawal of Georgian troops from the gorge will not have a significant impact on the security of the local population.
"Up to 900 residents of the gorge may pick up arms and defend themselves against an aggression at any time," he said.
Under the protocol, Georgian troops should be pulled out of the Kodori Gorge by April 10. However, some Georgian military experts find withdrawal by that date hardly likely because the mountain roads are currently snowbound and impassable.