EU delays Bosnia troop cuts

BRUSSELS, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Defense ministers of EU countries delayed a decision on reducing the number of their troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Fearing possibilities of ethnic conflicts in Serbia's predominantly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo province, the Defense ministers postponed the decision to reduce the number of EU troops in Bosnia from 6,500 to 1,500 next year, the Serbian news agency Beta reported.

Martti Ahtisaari, the U.N. special envoy on Kosovo's status talks, last week said he would announce a decision on the province's future after parliamentary elections in Serbia, set for Jan. 21.

Ethnic-Albanians, who make up 90 percent of Kosovo's population of 1.8 million, insist on independence from the Serbian government in Belgrade, while Belgrade claims Kosovo will always be an integral part of Serbia.

Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief, said a decision on troop cuts is being considered but the situation in Bosnia doesn't support it, Beta said.

French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said the European Union has to provide a sufficient number of troops in the Balkan region so they could deal with any form of revolt or violence in Kosovo, the agency said.