Spain pulling troops out of Kosovo

ISTOK, Kosovo, March 19 (UPI) -- Spain has completed its international military effort in Kosovo and plans to withdraw all of its troops, Spanish Defense Minister Carme Chacon said.

Speaking to Spanish forces in Istok, Kosovo, Chacon said her country's 632 soldiers deployed throughout Kosovo would be pulled out in a staggered fashion that should be fully completed by the end of the summer, El Diario said Thursday.

"The mission objectives are met, have brought peace and stability to this part of the world," the minister said.

Spanish troops have been deployed for a decade in Kosovo, which Spain does not recognize as an independent country.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has opposed Spain's withdrawal plan, saying any action that will weaken the Kosovo Force should be discussed by NATO and other alliance members.

"Any significant change in size or structure of the KFOR should be the result of a decision within the alliance at the time you have an agreement that gives the political and security conditions in Kosovo, and then yet has come," Scheffer was quoted as saying by El Diario.