Cowen to visit troops in Kosovo

IRISH troops serving in Kosovo will be paid a pre-Christmas visit by Taoiseach Brian Cowen as part of his one-day visit to the newly independent country.

There are 233 members of the defence forces and eight members of the Garda Síochána involved in peace-keeping as part of KFOR — the United Nations mission in the region.

They will not be able to travel home for the holiday period but will be involved in a live Christmas day link-up on RTÉ with the morning Mass from McKee Barracks in Dublin