NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in Pristina on Friday that NATO would continue reducing its forces in Kosovo, but that there were no concrete deadlines for that and that it would depend on the security situation on the ground.
Security has continued to improve. It is true that there are political complications and an occasional incident, but generally things are gradually moving in the right direction, Rasmussen told reporters during a visit to the Kosovo Force (KFOR).
He added that this was the reason why NATO in January had reduced its troops by 5,000 to 10,000.
The NATO official said KFOR would remain in Kosovo as long as necessary to complete its job, however, he declined to give any specific deadlines.
KFOR has been in charge of security in Kosovo since the end of the conflict between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in 1999.
Rasmussen said the key to lasting stability in Kosovo and the entire region was integration with the European Union, but added that accomplishing that goal required political courage, compromise and trust among all Kosovo communities.
Rasmussen, who held the news conference with KFOR commander Markus Bentler, strongly supported an investigation into corruption and organised crime in Kosovo launched by EULEX, the EU rule of law mission in Kosovo.
