Erjavec Says NATO Supports Continued Presence in Kosovo
Defence Minister Karl Erjavec told STA on Thursday that NATO supported the plan for Kosovo, which was recently put forward by special UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari. Speaking on the margins of an informal meeting of NATO defence ministers in Seville, Erjavec said all members supported the alliance's continued presence in the province.
"We are all aware that while the situation in the province is stable, it is also unpredictable, so the alliance will carefully monitor the developments there," Erjavec said.
Apart from Kosovo, NATO's operations in Afghanistan dominated the first day of discussions at the informal ministerial in Spain, according to Erjavec.
The minister informed his counterparts that Slovenia was sending a battalion to the province for the first time, while this would also be the first time for the country to take over a sector and command troops of another country, i.e. a company of 150 Hungarian soldiers.
The 10th Motorised Battalion departed for Kosovo on Tuesday in what is the largest Slovenian army formation to go abroad. The 600-strong battalion will officially take control over the sector West on 1 March.
According to Erjavec, the ministers agreed that the whole of the international community must take part in the search for comprehensive solutions for the future of Kosovo, while military presence alone could ensure but the basic security conditions.
Another issue on the agenda was the ISAF operation in Afghanistan, with Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer saying the alliance was ready to expand the operation in a bid counter an expected offensive by the Taleban in the spring.
Erjavec said Slovenia would increase the number of its troops in Afghanistan. The 55 Slovenian soldiers who are currently deployed there will be joined by another dozen, probably in August. Slovenian troops will remain stationed in the western part of the country.
The informal NATO meeting wrapped up on Friday, when NATO ministers were joined by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov. The ministers also discussed the alliance's transformation and hold a debate within the Mediterranean initiative.
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