EU intends to cut financial help to Kosovo

In the near future the EU may cut the annual financial help to Kosovo by 100 million euro, said Swedish defense minister Bjorn von Sydow, who is on a visit in Kosovo together with Swedish Crown Princess Victoria.

At present the European Union annually allocates to Kosovo 170 million euro.

At a press conference in Pristina the Swedish minister also announced the reduction of the Swedish units of KFOR, the international peacekeeping forces in the region.

Sweden firmly supports the UN Security Council resolution 1244, adopted three years ago, according to which Kosovo is a part of Yugoslavia, von Sydow said. At present the world community cannot be expected to change its position on the status of Kosovo, he emphasized.

The NATO intention to cut the number of its servicemen in Kosovo was confirmed on Wednesday by KFOR ex commander English general Michael Jackson. Yet he denied that the decision was caused by the problem around Iraq.