US Ambassador to Slovenia Thomas Robertson visited Slovenian soldiers taking part in the KFOR mission in the Serbian province of Kosovo on Monday. Robertson stressed the important role played by the Slovenia contingent, which has managed to gain trust of both Serbs and Albanians in the province, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
During his visit, the ambassador and his delegation met with Colonel Dobran Bozic, the head of the 600-strong contingent, which is scheduled to end its stint in Kosovo in late August.
The outgoing contingent, which is the largest Slovenian unit to date, was stationed in the vicinity of Pec, a town in western Kosovo, since 25 February.
The contingent will be replaced by a company of 160 soldiers that left Slovenia last week and will act under the command of Hungarian troops.
Robertson is to complete his term as ambassador to Slovenia on 20 August. He is most likely to be succeeded by Vincent Obsitnik, a Virginia businessman of Slovak descent, who has been put forward for the post by US President George W. Bush.
Obsitnik's nomination is currently in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, but is not expected to be discussed until September as the Congress is in recess in August.
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