SFOR TO DECREASE ITS TROOPS IN BOSNIA FROM 18,000 TO 12,000

MOSTAR, May 23 (Hina) - The Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia- Herzegovina will decrease its current forces from 18,000 to 12,000 following the elections this October, an official of NATO's department for peace missions and military planning, Robert Aysse, said at a meeting in Mostar on Thursday. #L# Aysse said that the reduction of the SFOR did not mean NATO's withdrawal from Bosnia, where the North-Atlantic Alliance would continue its mission. Aysse noted that NATO had additional forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo that could be deployed if required. He stressed that the only hope for Bosnia's future was its integration into European political and military structures. NATO supported Bosnia's access to NATO's Partnership for Peace programme, he said, adding though the country was still not ready for that. Access to Partnership for Peace required stronger security policies at the state level, Aysse said. He added that the most appropriate model was to form a command structure at the state level and a single defence ministry. That did not mean NATO insisted on forming a single army as a joint command would preserve national and regional identities, Aysse said. He pointed out the need for radical cuts in the country's military, stating that Bosnia's economic potential could finance an army of around 10,000-12,000 soldiers. Military participants in the Mostar meeting said that the current number of soldiers should be reduced from 32,000 to 19,500 in both entities by year's end. (hina) sp sb