The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, visited an EU military observers' mission in the Georgian town of Gori and travelled to a nearby camp for displaced people, where he met some of those affected by Georgia's brief war with Russia. While at the mission, Solana met some of the observers and inspected vehicles they will be using.

Javier Solana, European Union's foreign policy chief said:
"I am very pleased to say that we have done our part of the job, being here the day that we promised to be. That's very important because in 20 days to mobilise so many policemen from Europe, their vehicles and their communications etcetera is not a simple thing, but we did it. I hope that everybody will fulfil also their agreements and if that is the case by the tenth of this month these parts will be with all the Russian troop withdrawals."

During his visit to the camp Solana saw food being prepared and met some of the camp's inhabitants.

Solana also met the Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and other officials in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

His visit comes on the eve of the scheduled deployment of around 300 EU monitors in Georgia but outside South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

AP