Eurasia

Russia is continuing to show no sign of yielding to Western pressure to hasten its withdrawal from Georgia. Germany, Russia’s largest trading partner, has become the latest major power to express impatience over the pace of the pull-out – which is turning into scepticism over Moscow’s intentions.

We will respond, and it won’t just be a diplomatic protest. That is the warning from Russia after the US and Poland signed an agreement on the controversial American missile defence shield.

Russia is under increasing Western pressure to meet its own Friday deadline to pull its troops out of Georgia. However, those on the ground say there is little evidence of any large-scale military withdrawal.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran and Turkey are to move forward with negotiations on a major agreement on the transport of natural gas, following Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Istanbul last week.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Keyhan manager Hossein Shariatmadari examined the Russian-Georgian conflict in an editorial in the Persian daily headlined One piece of news and a lesson to learn.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday he will use a visit to Russia to expand military ties with Moscow, whose arms sales to the Middle Eastern state have angered Israel and the United States.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO agreed after U.S. pressure on Tuesday to freeze regular contacts with Russia until Moscow had withdrawn its troops from Georgia in line with a peace deal.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that by August 22 Russia will pull its troops in Georgia back to the positions set out in a French-brokered ceasefire agreement.

TBILISI (Reuters) – A roll of explosions at a Russian-occupied military base this week sent a clear Kremlin message to Georgia about the frailty of its infant military and its prospects for NATO membership.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic has asked the United Nations tribunal in The Hague to replace the judges who are overseeing the preparatory stage of his trial for charges including genocide.