-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! U.S. Planning Bosnia Pullout President Bush Set To Dramatically Reduce Peacekeepers But Europe Wants Greater U.S. Role, Official Says Seems To Contradict Recent Administration Statements WASHINGTON, March 15, 2001 AP U.S. soldier on lookout in Brcko, Bosnia. (CBS) Despite recent assurances that it will keep U.S. troops in Bosnia as long as needed -- and European calls for a greater American role in peacekeeping -- the U.S. is taking its first concrete step toward pulling American troops out of the Balkans. The Bush administration has developed a plan that would reduce by about 80 percent the 4,400 U.S. troops in Bosnia, reports CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin. A White House official who didn't want to be identified said the cutback was the result of a review concluded in December. Based on talks with the European allies, some heavy equipment and tanks that were no longer necessary are being withdrawn, along with the peacekeepers that manned them. NATO must still approve the withdrawal, but administration officials said they do not expect any resistance. "The United States intends to review our force posture in the Balkans in close consultation with allies as part of NATO's process of six-month reviews," said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe. But in Ottawa, Canada, a senior European official complained publicly about the role of U.S. troops in Balkans, saying that Europe would like to see a greater U.S. role. Norwegian deputy foreign minister Espen Barth Eide said European members of the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo are troubled by what they see as the overly cautious approach of American troops. "The level of (U.S.) activity is lower than we'd like it to be," Eide said. "There is a feeling in Europe that the Americans could do and should do more." The Bosnia pullout plan does not affect the 5,600 American troops in Kosovo. The troop reduction apparently will be accomplished by not replacing soldiers who have completed their tours in Bosnia. Under the Bush administration plan, American troops would turn the labor-intensive job of conducting daily foot patrols to keep the streets safe over to civilian police and would only be responsible for preventing an outbreak of fighting. U.S. officials say that would allow the Pentagon to cut the number of American troops in Bosnia in half. That move would be followed by another cut -- to roughly 1,000. The remaining American troops who would serve only as monitors, watching for any signs of a resurgence of ethnic violence. Officials say the timing of this phased withdrawal, which are occurring against the backdrop of growing tensions in the Balkans, would depend on events but could begin at once with the pullout of an 800-man helicopter detachment and be completed within two years. The withdrawal seems to contradict statements made by administration officials in recent weeks. In a Feb. 6 press conference with British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, Secretary of State Colin Powell reiterated the administration's intention to keep U.S. troops in the Balkans. "We are both committed to finishing the job by ensuring that we build a stable peace and an open democracy in the Balkans," Powell said. His pledge to stay the course in the Balkans remained in effect, but that commitment did not rule out some reductions, said a senior U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. President George W. Bush, in a round-table meeting Tuesday evening with regional reporters, said, "this administration will not precipitously withdraw from commitments that previous administrations made." As recently as last week, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld assured NATO Secretary-General George Robertson that the U.S. would maintain its troops in Bosnia. Six years ago, 20,000 U.S. soldiers went into Bosnia as part of a heavily armed NATO force to ensure a peace treaty brokered by the Clinton administration. The NATO troops put an end to the worst conflict in Europe since the end of World War II, though the ethnic hatreds that sparked that conflict continued to simmer. The current mission of the 4,400 troops is to prevent armed conflict and to make the villages safe enough so that refugees who had been expelled in ethnic cleansing campaigns will feel they can return home and start rebuilding their lives. Wednesday March 14 9:32 PM ET US Withdraws 750 Troops From Bosnia By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration is withdrawing about 750 U.S. peacekeeping troops from Bosnia and is consulting with NATO (news - web sites) allies on additional cutbacks, two U.S. officials said Wednesday. However, a pledge by Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) to stay the course in the restive Balkans, where more than 9,000 U.S. troops patrol Bosnia and Kosovo, remains in effect. The commitment did not rule out some reductions, said a senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The withdrawal of the troops and the possibility of further reductions was described by the official as part of an evaluation of needs the administration was making with leaders of the military alliance. A White House official told The Associated Press, meanwhile, that the cutback was the result of a review concluded last December. Based on consultation with the European allies, some heavy equipment and tanks that were no longer necessary are being withdrawn, along with the peacekeepers that manned them. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the troop reduction was being accomplished by not replacing soldiers who have completed their tours of duty in Bosnia. The official described the reductions as adjustments and said they would not diminish the ability of peacekeepers in Bosnia to carry out their mission. CBS reported, meanwhile, that the Bush administration had developed a plan that would reduce by about 80 percent the 4,400 U.S. troops in Bosnia. It said the plan does not affect the 5,600 American troops next door in Kosovo. Under the plan, American troops would turn the labor-intensive job of conducting daily foot patrols to keep the streets safe over to civilian police and would only be responsible for preventing an outbreak of fighting, CBS said. A White House spokesman said he had not seen the CBS report, but he questioned its accuracy. ``The United States intends to review our force posture in the Balkans in close consultation with allies as part of NATO's process of six-month reviews,'' spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. President Bush (news - web sites) registered skepticism about U.S. involvement in peacekeeping operation during the presidential campaign. But Powell, in his debut last month at NATO headquarters in a diplomatic role, promised worried Europeans that the United States ``would avoid any steps that jeopardize'' the alliance's unity. Lord Robertson, the NATO secretary-general, called Powell's participation in his first session of the North Atlantic Council, NATO's policy-making body, ``a reminder of the vital importance of the trans-Atlantic link.'' The cutbacks are occurring against the backdrop of growing tensions in the Balkans. Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), Bush's national security adviser, created a stir during the presidential campaign when she said the United States should pull troops out and Bush, too, said he wanted to bring Americans home. After some European alarm, Bush softened his stance, saying two weeks ago there would be ``no precipitous withdrawal from the (overseas) commitments we inherited,'' though he said he would be more ``careful'' and ``judicious'' about peacekeeping deployments in the future. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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