Georgian leader no longer a partner: Russia's Lavrov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia no longer sees Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili as a partner, but his departure is not necessary to resolve the crisis over Georgia's rebel region of South Ossetia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday.

"A man who issued orders to commit war crimes which resulted in thousands of deaths of peaceful civilians cannot be viewed by Russia as a partner," Lavrov told journalists.

He said any suggestion by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that he had called for Saakashvili to quit as a condition for solving the crisis was a misinterpretation of a conversation between the two ministers.

"When Georgian troops leave South Ossetia and an agreement on the non-use of force is signed, peace will be restored, regardless of the future fate of Saakashvili," Lavrov said.

Georgia's Foreign Ministry said it had told Russia on Sunday evening that it was ready "to immediately start negotiations" on a ceasefire and an end to hostilities. Russia confirmed it had received the note but said Georgia had not stopped hostilities.

(Reporting by Oleg Shchedrov; Editing by Jon Boyle)