Britain sends 600 troops to Kosovo "to maintain peace" (Roundup)

Apr 29, 2008, 14:39 GMT

London - Britain said Tuesday it would send 600 troops to Kosovo on a four-week deployment at the end of May to assist with NATO peacekeeping activities.

'The security situation has remained tense and there have been some sporadic incidents of violence,' Defence Secretary Des Browne said in a written statement to parliament.

The deployment of a battalion to the newly-independent state would demonstrate 'Britain's commitment to the region's security and will provide extra flexibility in maintaining local peace and stability.'

Britain currently has 150 troops in Kosovo as part of the NATO peacekeeping force.

The new deployment is in response to a request from NATO for assistance in dealing with violence between Kosovo's ethnic Albanians and its minority Serbian population.

Britain is responsible for providing NATO's standby reserve force for the Balkans for the first six months of this year.

The defence spokesman of the opposition Conservatives, Liam Fox, said he agreed that Britain should 'fulfil its commitments' within NATO, but warned of an 'increased overstretch' of British forces with large contingents deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Browne's statement said that the soldiers from 2nd Battalion, The Rifles, were based in the province of Northern Ireland and had been 'trained specifically for this requirement.'

Britain would remain committed to the so-called NATO/EU Operational Reserve Force for the Balkans 'at a lower level of readiness during the second half of 2008,' Browne said.