The US Secretary of State has been in France, as part of her mission to rally support for Georgia. Condoleezza Rice had talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy and the French foreign minister, whose nation currently holds the EU presidency.

Georgia’s two breakaway states have re-affirmed their intention to declare independence. The leaders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia met President Medvedev at the Kremlin, who said Russia supported them and would guarantee their future.

Georgian police, who went back into the town of Gori this morning, are now said to be leaving, as Tbilisi claims Russian troops are “systematically destroying the town’s military infrastructure”.