Georgia agreed to Russian buffer zone

TBILISI, Georgia (CNN) - When he signed a truce with Russia's president, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili agreed to a Russian-occupied buffer zone along the embattled separatist territory of South Ossetia, according to details released Sunday by the Georgian government.

The buffer zone was a sticking point in the French-brokered cease-fire plan for Saakashvili, who requested further explanation on the issue for French President Nicolas Sarkozy before signing the agreement Friday. The security measures would take the form of Russian peacekeepers patrolling the area, the document states, Sarkozy told the Georgian leader.

CNN obtained from the Georgian government a translated copy of Sarkozy's letter to Saakashvili, which says, "Russian forces will implement additional security measures" along Georgia's border with Russian-backed South Ossetia.

In the letter, Sarkozy says he's clarifying the buffer zone "for the sake of precision." But some of the details were still vague, including the size of the buffer zone, which Sarkozy says will fall within "a few kilometers" from the administrative limit between South Ossetia and Georgia.