French officials say European Union defense ministers are moving towards a plan to phase out the EU peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Several French diplomats said Wednesday that a majority of EU ministers now support scaling back the EU operation in Bosnia. The officials spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity after they sat in on an informal meeting of defense ministers in the French city of Deauville. France currently holds the rotating EU presidency.
A formal decision on the matter is not expected before November 10, when defense ministers hold a formal summit in Brussels.
The diplomats say the present EU force will likely be replaced by a civilian operation.
NATO peacekeepers were deployed to Bosnia as part of the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords that ended the fighting in the former Yugoslavia. NATO turned over peacekeeping duties to the European Union in 2004.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
