EU 'may reduce Bosnia peacekeeping force'

The EU will consider reducing its peacekeeping force in Bosnia by almost two-thirds if elections scheduled for later this year show the country is on the path to stability, Austria’s defence minister said today.

“We will have to consider whether in the medium term we will reduce from 6,700 to about 2,500 troops,” Guenther Platter told a news conference after chairing a meeting of EU defence ministers. He did not elaborate on a possible time frame.