Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said on Friday that he has signed the peace plan to settle the conflict between his country and its breakaway region of South Ossetia.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (L) and Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili meet in Tbilisi, August 15, 2008. Rice arrived in Georgia on Friday for talks with President Mikheil Saakashvili on formalising a French-negotiated ceasefire to the South Ossetian conflict. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Saakashvili made the statement at a press conference after talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

He said the main goals now were to cease fire and start peacekeeping operations in the conflict zones, expressing hope that this temporary agreement would eventually bring about a final resolution of the conflict.

Rice, for her part, said the signature on the plan by Saakashvili meant fire must be ceased immediately.

The plan implied restoration of the state of affairs that existed before Georgia launched its attack on South Ossetia a week ago and that the regular Russian troops that have been moved into Georgia must unconditionally leave the country, Rice was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili speaks during a news briefing in Tbilisi after talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Aug. 15, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The leaders of Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia signed on Thursday the peace plan, which was endorsed by the presidents of Russia and France. The Kremlin said Friday that Russia will put its signature under the document only after Georgia signs it.

In addition, Saakashvili said that Russian forces remained in a large part of Georgia's territory and Russian armored vehicles were between the town of Gori and the capital Tbilisi.

The Georgian president said his next step would be to replace Russian peacekeepers in the conflict zone with an international contingent.

During a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier in the day in Sochi, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said his country is not against deploying international peacekeeping force in the Caucasus, but "Abkhazia and South Ossetia trusted only Russian troops."

In response to Medvedev's doubt that Abkhazia and South Ossetia would live in the same state with Georgians after recent events, Saakashvili said there would be no compromise and that both Abkhazia and South Ossetia would remain part of Georgia.

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2008)