| Author (Corporate) | BBC |
|---|---|
| Series Title | BBC News |
| Series Details | 11.6.09 |
| Publication Date | 11/06/2009 |
| Content Type | News |
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Nato to reduce Kosovo contingent by 4,000 Nato defence ministers have taken the first step towards a drastic reduction in the alliance’s troop deployment in Kosovo. They agreed on Thursday to reduce the force in the newly independent state from 14,000 troops to 10,000, and there are expectations in Nato headquarters that numbers could be cut to 2,500 over the next two years, leaving little more than a deterrent force. Thursday’s move, which will probably be implemented in January 2010, could help some Nato member states to redeploy troops from Kosovo to Afghanistan, where the US hopes to see a greater effort from its allies. It is also an acknowledgment of the growing stability in the former province of Serbia. Nato’s decision to reduce its contingent in Kosovo – known as Kfor – should also avoid a situation in which member states unilaterally withdraw their troops. Earlier this year, Spain incensed allies by saying it wanted to pull its 500 troops from Kfor unilaterally. It then dropped the idea, after protests from other states. “The key thing is that we do all this in a co-ordinated manner,” said a senior official in the Nato secretariat in Brussels. “Nato needs to accept that the more it withdraws from Kosovo, the more pressure there will be on the European Union mission to manage security there. So this cannot be a rush for the exit, it needs careful co-ordination and handling.” Kfor has been in Kosovo since 1999 under a United Nations mandate, after a Nato bombing campaign to drive out Serb forces. There had been widespread fears in the west that Kosovo’s move towards independence in January 2008 could fuel violence between its ethnic Albanian majority and Serb minority. But those concerns have proved largely unfounded. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009 |
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| Source Link | http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8094430.stm |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe, Kosovo |
