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Germany to withdraw 25pc of forces from Bosnia
Germany is to withdraw about one quarter of its 1,000 peacekeepers from Bosnia, outgoing Defence Minister Peter Struck said in an interview with the Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag. Struck said Balkan leaders had to be gradually made to take their own responsibility for the future. "It's my impression that there is a tendency there to take it easy and leave the work to us." "We'll withdraw 200 to 300 soldiers from Bosnia," said Struck, a Social Democrat who is to hand over his portfolio to a member of Germany's conservative Christian Democratic party as soon as coalition talks in Berlin are completed. He said part of the German forces on peacekeeping duty in Kosovo was also likely to be withdrawn. "As far as Kosovo is concerned, I assume that the status issue will be settled in the course of the next half-year. "After that we can withdraw the soldiers." But he said he could not state a date when all German soldiers would come home from the Balkans. quagmire! Posted by: anon 2005-10-25 |
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