By IRNA,
London : Britain is to end its military commitment to Kosovo, Defence Secretary John Hutton has said in his first major announcement since taking up his new post last week.
The move, which comes after a decision not to redeploy troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, is seen as part of a much-needed drawdown in the many overseas operations embarked upon under former prime minister Tony Blair.
Britain has had to maintain an infantry battalion on standby as part of the shared Nato-EU Balkans operational reserve force (Orf) to act as quick-reaction reinforcements in case of fighting between ethnic Albanians and Serbs.
In May a 600-man battalion was deployed to help maintain public order in Kosovo following its declaration of independence, which received Western backing but was rejected by Serbia and its ally Russia.
But in a parliamentary statement published Thursday, Hutton announced that the battalion was being freed up after Britain had shown its commitment to the security of Kosovo during what he called “a politically sensitive period.”
“Following a review of the security situation in Kosovo and our wider military commitments, the Foreign Secretary (David Miliband) and I have agreed that the UK contribution to the Orf will cease on December 31,” he told MPs.
“The major milestones in Kosovo’s independence have passed without incident and the security situation in Kosovo is stable, if fragile,” he said.
The defence secretary maintained that with over 15,000 other allied personnel currently in theatre, “Nato remains well placed to deal with any potential security incidents.”
But he insisted that the UK will “continue to make a significant contribution to Kosovo’s security through the provision of key intelligence capabilities and wider security sector reform and capacity building.”
“Moreover, the UK will also continue to assist with mobilising international support for Kosovo on key political, governance and economic issues,” Hutton added.
During his 10 years in office, Blair led the Nato countries into the bombing of Serbia in 1999, sent British forces into Sierra Leone in 2000, took part in the US-led attack on Afghanistan in 2001 and again joined resident George W Bush in invading Iraq in 2003.
The Financial Times last month reported that Britain’s defence chiefs had decided against transferring the 4,100 UK troops currently stationed in Iraq to Afghanistan when the mission in Basra end in the second half of next year.
“Our desire is to get back into balance and stay in balance and not to invest elsewhere,” the defence source told the daily, adding that the return of the forces in Iraq would bring the UK back into line on how many expeditions Britain could mount at any one time.