originly posted by Kermit in News, I belive it's suitable for discussion, so........
Troops to stay part of Kosovo peace mission
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IRISH peacekeeping troops are likely to be in the Balkans for "the foreseeable future".
Kosovo is set to continue to be Ireland's second biggest peace mission after Liberia.
The news emerged as Defence Minister Willie O'Dea today embarks on a three-day trip to Kosovo.
Kosovo riot police clashed with hundreds of activists outside the UN headquarters in Pristina on Friday.
Mr O'Dea is due to visit the UN HQ tomorrow where he will pay a courtesy call on Soren Jessen-Petersen, the head of UNMIK and the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in the province.
Protesters laid siege to the UNMIK building, barricading roads and blocking access for 36 hours. The scale of the protest has caused problems for the organisers of the minister's visit, with security advisers reassessing his visit to the UNMIK HQ.
A spokesperson for the Minister said: "The situation is still quite fluid. A decision will probably be made late today."
More than 200 Irish soldiers serve alongside Finnish, Swedish, Slovak, Latvian and Czech troops in the peacekeeping force. Mr O'Dea will visit Irish troops of the 32nd Infantry Group, drawn mainly from the Western Command, who are on a six month tour of duty.
The Defence Forces are likely to be in the Balkans for "the foreseeable future", sources said.
The Irish are full-time professional soldiers, while most of the 500 Finnish troops serving with them are reservists.
Michael Lavery
Irish Independent 12/06/06
Troops to stay part of Kosovo peace mission
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IRISH peacekeeping troops are likely to be in the Balkans for "the foreseeable future".
Kosovo is set to continue to be Ireland's second biggest peace mission after Liberia.
The news emerged as Defence Minister Willie O'Dea today embarks on a three-day trip to Kosovo.
Kosovo riot police clashed with hundreds of activists outside the UN headquarters in Pristina on Friday.
Mr O'Dea is due to visit the UN HQ tomorrow where he will pay a courtesy call on Soren Jessen-Petersen, the head of UNMIK and the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in the province.
Protesters laid siege to the UNMIK building, barricading roads and blocking access for 36 hours. The scale of the protest has caused problems for the organisers of the minister's visit, with security advisers reassessing his visit to the UNMIK HQ.
A spokesperson for the Minister said: "The situation is still quite fluid. A decision will probably be made late today."
More than 200 Irish soldiers serve alongside Finnish, Swedish, Slovak, Latvian and Czech troops in the peacekeeping force. Mr O'Dea will visit Irish troops of the 32nd Infantry Group, drawn mainly from the Western Command, who are on a six month tour of duty.
The Defence Forces are likely to be in the Balkans for "the foreseeable future", sources said.
The Irish are full-time professional soldiers, while most of the 500 Finnish troops serving with them are reservists.
Michael Lavery
Irish Independent 12/06/06
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