Bosnia's Defense Minister Nikola Radovanovic met Monday with envoys from NATO and the European Union as the EU prepares to take over peacekeeping operations which the Atlantic alliance has run in his country for nine years. The handover set for Thursday will see the EU launch its biggest ever military operation, by taking command of the 7,000-strong mission. Radovanovic was attending the regular monthly meeting of representatives from the EU and NATO to discuss the final arrangements for the handover. NATO will offer backup to the EU mission and will retain a small presence in Sarajevo to help continued efforts to track down war crime suspects and help the Bosnian government with defense reforms. With most of the NATO troops already coming from European nations, the biggest change will be the withdrawal of the around 1,000 U.S. soldiers currently based in the northern city of Tuzla. They will mostly be replaced by troops from Finland. The U.S. will keep a small military base in the country, outside of the peacekeeping mission.
