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NATO chief sees possible withdrawal of troops from Kosovo in four years

2009-08-04 09:47 BJT

BRUSSELS, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- New NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Monday that the NATO-led troops in Kosovo (KFOR) could be significantly reduced or even completely withdrawn by the end of his four-year term.

"On Kosovo, my aim is clear: by the end of my term, I want to see KFOR reduced to just a small reaction force, or out altogether," Rasmussen told reporters on his first day at work as NATO chief.

It is the first time the alliance has indicated a timeline for the withdrawal of KFOR, which has been in Kosovo since 1999 after NATO airstrikes drove out Serbian forces from the region.

"We should not stumble so close to the finish line. But I believe that conditions will in the foreseeable future be right to retire KFOR with success," said Rasmussen.

NATO defense ministers decided in June to significantly scale down KFOR. Currently, the first phase of reduction is in process as each phase must be decided by the decision-making North Atlantic Council based on military advices.

The target to reduce KFOR to 10,000 by January 2010 from about 14,000 at present is still within reach, NATO spokesman James Appathurai told reporters last Wednesday.

Rasmussen's predecessor Jaap de Hoop Scheffer had repeatedly refused to give a deadline for the complete withdrawal of KFOR, saying the troops would be there as long as necessary.

NATO defense ministers envisaged a three-phase reduction within a time frame of two years starting from the activation of the first reduction. The final number they were looking at was around 2,200 troops, according to NATO officials.

Editor: Zhang Pengfei | Source: Xinhua