EU officials plan to start deploying presidential election observers throughout Zimbabwe, despite a ban on their leader Mr Pierre Schori.
Mr Schori's spokesman, Mr Stefan Amer, said the accredited observers were to be deployed in 12 teams tomorrow.
He added EU officials were still waiting for official notification on Mr Schori's status.
President Robert Mugabe's government has officially accredited 26 European observers but refuses to recognise Mr Schori, Sweden's ambassador to the UN, as head of the mission.
It is also refusing to accredit other Swedish observers or representatives from Britain, Denmark, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands.
The government has accused those countries of bias in favour of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change whose leader is challenging Mr Mugabe in next month's two day election.
The state-run Heraldnewspaper, seen to reflect official policy, said Mr Schori was welcome to stay as a tourist to view the nation's wild animals or its polling stations.
"Those tourists who have a passion for watching elections are just as welcome as those who want to look at elephants," The Heraldsaid.
But they would not be allowed into polling stations or counting halls, it said. It was not clear what action could be taken against Mr Schori if he continues to run the observer mission.
Political violence has intensified ahead of the presidential vote in which Mr Mugabe, 77, and his increasingly unpopular ruling party face opposition leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, 49.
PA