Georgia president says signs ceasefire agreement

TBILISI (Reuters) – Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday said he had signed a ceasefire agreement ending hostilities with Russia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

“Today I signed the ceasefire agreement,” he said, speaking outside the presidential palace in Tbilisi, flanked by visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Saakashvili blamed the West for failing to react strongly enough to previous Russian military moves and for failing to grant his Caucasus country membership of NATO.

Saakashvili said “we are today looking evil directly in the eye.” He said Georgia would never ever reconcile itself to any occupation of its territory by Russia.