European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels have decided to extend the EU ceasefire monitoring mission in Georgia for another year, until September 2010.

The mission was set up in August last year following the short war between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
 

225 monitors are taking part in the EU mission, including nine from the Netherlands. So far they have been denied access to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where Russian troops are stationed.