(Previous IGOETI, recasts)

By Margarita Antidze

GORI, Georgia, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Russian forces in the occupied town of Gori in Georgia said on Saturday they had not received any order to pull out, but Reuters witnessed a visible drawdown in the military presence.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev added his signature on Saturday to a French-led peace plan already endorsed by Georgia. But he also ordered "extra security measures" to be put in place before any pullout.

"When my president calls me on this mobile and orders me to start the withdrawal, I will carry out his order," Russian Major-General Vyacheslav Borisov told Reuters in Gori.

Borisov described himself as "the military commander of the Gori region," an area that lies 25 km (15 miles) from breakaway South Ossetia.

A Reuters correspondent who travelled on the Tbilisi-Gori highway said there had been a visible drawdown in the Russian military presence.

Over a dozen armoured personnel carriers and 200 soldiers had pulled out of the village of Igoeti, 45 km (30 miles) from the Georgian capital.

The presence was also lighter at the entrance to Gori. A witness in the town said he had seen buses of Russian soldiers leaving Gori for outlying villages to the north.

"Our understanding is that the agreement has been signed and Russian troops are starting to withdraw," said a foreign military observer in Igoeti, who asked not to be named.

"But there are a lot of units scattered around this area. My understanding is that the process will take some time."

The move to Igoeti marked the deepest incursion into Georgia proper since Russia drove Georgian forces from the breakaway province of South Ossetia last week.

Georgian police and army moved into the Igoeti area after the Russian withdrawal. The correspondent saw two small Russian checkpoints on the road to Gori.

Russian forces have moved into several areas of western and central Georgia since pushing Georgian forces from South Ossetia. The Russian military said it has been securing military installations and abandoned arms dumps. (Writing by Matt Robinson, editing by Mike Collett-White)

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