KIEV, Ukraine -- US Defence Secretary Robert Gates urged NATO member states to keep their troops in KFOR even after the December 10th deadline for talks on Kosovo's final status.
Addressing the meeting of the Council of Southeast European Defence Ministers under way in Kiev on Monday (October 22nd), Gates explained that KFOR should be prepared for any scenario after that date, which is when the international mediating troika on Kosovo is to submit its report to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Gates stressed that the presence of the 16,000 KFOR troops there would be crucial for preserving stability, especially if negotiations fail. (Blic - 23/10/07; RTK, RTS, Tanjug, AP, DW - 22/10/07)
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