Rasmussen: NATO to cut troops in Kosovo despite unrest
NATO will stick to plans to scale down its military presence in Kosovo, despite recent unrest there, alliance Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Friday, September 04, 2009
In Pristina, dozens of protesters led by an ethnic Albanian ultra-nationalist group rallied against the EU executive presence, damaging 24 EU vehicles, while Serbs and Albanians also clashed in Kosovska Mitrovica for two days in row this week.
"Despite the unfortunate incidents, I don't think the overall security situation has changed," Rasmussen told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
"So we will stick to the decision already taken that we will reduce the number of KFOR troops from a level of 15,000 to a level of 10,000 at the beginning of next year. I think the overall security situation has improved and the conditions are fulfilled that we can take that step...I think the overall security situation is quite satisfactory", Rasmussen said.
