Prince Charles to attend St. David's Day celebration at British military base in Bosnia

Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall will visit British troops Thursday serving with the European peace force in Bosnia, the force said.

Photo: Prince Charles to attend St. David's Day celebration at British military base in Bosnia

Britain will withdraw all its 600 troops from Bosnia as part of an EU draw down of peacekeeping forces, a government official said Wednesday. Britain will formally announce the plan to parliament at around 1200 GMT.

Prince Charles will visit the Welsh Guards, stationed in the northwestern city of Banja Luka, to celebrate St. David's Day, the regimental day of the Welsh Guards, EUFOR said in a statement.

The prince of Wales, a colonel of the Welsh Guards, will also meet Bosnia's three-member presidency. Some 550 British troops, mainly Welsh Guards, are deployed with EUFOR in Bosnia, reports AP.

EU nations agreed Tuesday to reduce the EU force in Bosnia from 6,000 to 2,500 by early June, reflecting their confidence in increased political stability in the country. The cuts are part of a plan for an eventual withdrawal of the peacekeeping force and its replacement with a civilian EU mission.