NATO states agree to train Kosovo force

NATO states have reached agreement on plans to train a lightly-armed Kosovo security
force of some 2,500 troops. The agreement comes days before the Kosovo constitution comes into force on June 15.

An alliance source says the agreement has been crafted in such a way as to overcome Turkish concerns about sharing of military information with the European Union, which will have a presence in Kosovo later this year.

Meanwhile, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has reportedly told Kosovo’s leaders that he intends to reshape the UN mission there to allow the EU to take on key tasks. The move follows weeks of uncertainty over the international security presence in Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in February but has won only partial recognition.

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