BELGRADE, Serbia, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- The European Union has stopped pulling out its troops from the Balkans because of the Kosovo conflict.
According to a report by German news magazine Der Spiegel, Europe's defense and foreign ministers fear a unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo will destabilize neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina, where some 2,500 EU soldiers are stationed. There, the Bosnian Serbs may also declare independent their province Srpska.
The Germans, who have roughly 300 soldiers in the country, have recently deployed another unit to Kosovo for an "exercise," the magazine said, adding these troops could also be deployed to neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina in case of an emergency. Italy and Britain also have units on high alert.
The Kosovo conflict is set to take a decisive turn after Dec. 10, when a deadline runs out for internationally mandated negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo. Pristina will settle for nothing less than full independence, while Belgrade has said it would only grant broad autonomy. With the West (the United States and the EU) backing Kosovo and Moscow supporting Serbia, no compromise is in sight.
Senior Kosovo leaders have announced they will proceed unilaterally to declare independence if no agreement is reached.
