Foreign ministers from the 27-member European Union (EU) opened their two-day meeting on Monday to discuss issues related to the Georgia crisis, Zimbabwe and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round Talks, and prepare for the EU summit in October.
The meeting, chaired by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, is expected to adopt a "common action" to deploy 200 EU observers in Georgia, in accordance with the September 8 agreement the EU reached with the Russian and Georgian governments.
The ministers will also raise the issue of the EU contribution to the Georgian reconstruction efforts as well as the preparation of the international conference on the stability and security of Abkhazia and South Ossetia scheduled for October 15 in Geneva.
The foreign ministers' meeting is also expected to appoint a special representative to coordinate the EU's action in the context of the Georgian crisis.
Meanwhile, the meeting will further examine the situation in Zimbabwe to assess the status of negotiations between the parties to form a government.
The ministers will also evaluate the Doha round talks in the wake of the failure of the July WTO ministerial meeting and the consequences for the EU.