The European Union is likely to deploy around 300 staff in its observer mission to Georgia, up on the 200 planned under a French-brokered peace deal ending last month's war with Russia, an EU official said today.
"It will most likely be a bigger number," the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. "In order to have 200 in the field, we are looking at around 300 including support staff."
The official said the increase reflected "interest from member states to show commitment" to the mission, due to be on the ground by October 1st to observe the pullout of Russian forces over the following 10 days.
He denied it had anything to do with the failure last week of negotiations at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to deploy an extra 80 international monitors.
Russia sent troops deep into Georgian territory during a five-day war last month over Georgia's breakaway, pro-Russian province of South Ossetia.