EU defence ministers to discuss winding down Bosnia mission

EU defence ministers today gathered in Finland to consider winding down the international peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and eventually replacing it with a mostly civilian operation in the Balkan nation.

The EU has about 6,500 troops in Bosnia. It took over from a Nato peacekeeping mission that totalled about 60,000 at its height immediately after the 1992-1995 war.

“We hope that we can strengthen the civilian contribution there,” Finnish Defence Minister Seppo Kaariainen said before chairing the meeting in Levi. He added that the EU wanted to hand over more power to local authorities.

Kaariainen stressed that plans to withdraw troops would depend on the fallout from yesterday’s elections in which Bosnians appeared sharply split over the country’s future.

Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats support politicians who want to further unify the country, but Serbs back a candidate whose party advocates continued ethnic division.

Important decisions in Bosnia continue to be made by an international administrator backed by the EU troops. But the EU and United Nations want to hand over power next year if newly elected leaders find ways to put in place reforms that will bring the country closer to EU democratic standards.

The two-day EU meeting in the Lapland ski resort of Levi will also discuss the bloc’s military mission in Congo, fears of increased tension in Kosovo, aid to African peacekeepers in Darfur and shortfalls in Europe’s military power - highlighted recently by difficulties in mustering troops for Afghanistan and Lebanon.

They will also review a plan drawn up by EU experts on long-term security challenges warning that Europe’s ageing population will make it increasingly difficult to recruit enough young people for military service.

In Congo, the EU has 2,000 troops deployed in support of 17,600 UN peacekeepers during a series of elections designed to end years of civil strife. The bloc is coming under pressure to extend the mandate of its mission, which is due to pull out on November 30 – just one month after the presidential election vote between President Joseph Kabila and former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba.

“Vigilance is still needed as tensions remain high in Kinshasa,” according to a Finnish document circulated before the meeting by Finland.

Germany, which has 750 troops in Congo, has insisted the EU force will have to come out by the deadline, but Kaariainen said the ministers would have to assess the possibility of extending the mandate although it may be too early to take decisions during the meeting in Lapland.

Finland’s former President Martti Ahtisaari will brief ministers on negotiations he is leading on the United Nations’ behalf over the future status of Kosovo – which are widely expected to offer it some sort of independence despite opposition from Serbia and the local Serb minority.

The province is formally a part of Serbia and has been run by the United Nations since a 1999 NATO bombing campaign forced Belgrade to end a crackdown against the ethnic Albanian rebels and pull out its forces. Serbia’s parliament voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to approve a new constitution declaring Kosovo to be part of Serbia.

The EU and Nato are expected to extend support to African Union peacekeepers in Darfur by offering more transport planes and training. The AU mission was scheduled to end by October and be replaced by a stronger UN force, but Sudan’s leaders fiercely opposed the move and the AU agreed to stay on until at least the end of the year.