Defence ministers from NATO and other countries which have peacekeeping troops in Kosovo vowed on Thursday to continue their mission there until the Western Balkans are stable, according to dpa. "All participants showed their commitment to KFOR (the peacekeeping force) to protect the majority and the minority, all Kosovo citizens without exception, and create a climate of security and stability in the difficult times in this region," NATO secretary- general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said after the meeting in Vilnius. The ministers from NATO agreed unanimously that the alliance - whose forces make up the overwhelming bulk of KFOR's 15,900 troops - should stay in Kosovo "through what has the potential to be a volatile time," Scheffer's spokesman added. In 1999, NATO conducted a bombing campaign in Kosovo to put an end to fighting between separatists and Serbian government forces. Since then, Kosovo has been under UN administration, with KFOR mandated to provide security in the region. However, after talks between Serbs and Kosovars ended in failure in December, Kosovo is widely expected to declare independence in the coming weeks. Observers warn that any such move could trigger further separatist conflicts in the Western Balkans - something KFOR's presence is designed to prevent. The meeting in Vilnius brought together NATO's 26 members with the non-NATO nations who have troops in Kosovo: Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Morocco, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.
