NATO to Leave Full Balkan Force in Place
NATO said Tuesday that its 65,000-strong force in the Balkans will remain to provide security and stability despite Yugoslavia’s peaceful revolution and signs of easing tensions in the region.
NATO defense ministers meeting here insisted that ousted Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic, who has been indicted for war crimes, must be brought to international trial despite the reluctance of his successor, Vojislav Kostunica, to hand him over.
“These are of course early days,” NATO Secretary-General George Robertson told a news briefing. “Certainly we remain committed to fulfilling our mandate to guarantee security in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Kosovo.”
Earlier, he said KFOR and SFOR, the NATO-led forces in Kosovo and Bosnia, respectively, will “continue to provide a bedrock of security and stability as long as is needed.”
U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Walter Slocombe said ministers had reached a consensus after hearing reports from senior generals on the security situation in the Balkans that to reduce force levels now would be premature.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
