Tbilisi, Georgia, July 30, SPA -- Russia on Saturday began thepullout of its military equipment from Georgia _ a processthat will take several years, officials said. A dozen military vehicles that left a Russian base in theGeorgian Black Sea port of Batumi were scheduled to reachthe border on Sunday, said Col. Vladimir Kuparadze, adeputy commander of the Russian forces in Georgia. The withdrawal was to start Friday, but it was delayedbecause of visa problems. The Russian military said thatGeorgian authorities had failed to issue licenses for thevehicles to be withdrawn and visas for their drivers toreturn to Georgia. Russian and Georgian officials solved the issue in talksFriday. After long and tense negotiations, Russia this year agreedto close the two bases, which are Soviet-era hangovers, bythe end of 2008. The deal was a key victory for Georgia'sWestern-leaning president, Mikhail Saakashvili, according to a report from The Associated Press.--SPA 1301 Local Time 1001 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/279953