Brussels - The US Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, called yesterday for reductions of at least 6,000 troops from the NATO force in Bosnia and said an EU-led police force could help ensure security in the Balkan country.
Mr Rumsfeld said the time had come to slim down the current 18,000-strong force, which has kept the peace there for six years. A US official said the reduction of the force in Bosnia should be part of an overall restructuring of NATO's forces in the Balkans.