Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), met today with Prime Minister of Georgia, Lado GURGENIDZE. After the meeting Mr SOLANA made the following remarks to the convened journalists:

"The situation today is clear. Georgia is a country whose territorial integrity has been breached and there is tremendous damage on the ground as concerns people, property, etc and it is our obligation to help. We want to help the people in Georgia. We have also already made very clear statements on the recognition issue - we are against. On the relations with Georgia, I think that three things are important; the political support, the economic support - as you know we are trying to do the utmost - and then our presence on the ground. As you know, we already have an exploratory mission deployed in Georgia with around 40 people on the ground. We would like to have an ESDP mission deployed soon and I think that by the next Council, on the 15 September, we will have the decisions finalised. That is what I am looking for and this is what I am seeking at this point in time. We prepare for an observer mission, a verification mission, in order to see how the plans that have already been approved and signed by the parties are implemented. This is very important. There is a lot to do and the EU is ready, in coordination with the OSCE, to verify that the 6-point agreement is complied with".

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