Ferrero-Waldner meets Austrian troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo, 23 June 2004 - Within the context of her visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner met with an advance party of the Austrian Federal Armed Forces. Ferrero-Waldner expressed her satisfaction at the fact that Austria will stock up its SFOR unit to up to 150 soldiers by the end of the month. "The contribution the Austrian Federal Armed Forces are making to the stabilisation of the situation in the Western Balkans is of eminent importance and enjoys general acknowledgement. In Kosovo, our soldiers have once more shown that they work with great professionalism even in very difficult conditions. I would like to express my thanks and my great appreciation to the officers and the troops," the Foreign Minister said.

Ferrero-Waldner furthermore welcomed the transition from SFOR to the EU-led EUFOR as of the end of this year. This, she pointed out, was an indicator of the huge importance the European Union attributes to Bosnia and Herzegovina's development into a stable and prospering country.