Switzerland's military contingent in Kosovo to be armed
( 2001-11-24 14:23) (8)
The Swiss Senate's security commission wanted the Swiss military contingent in Kosovo, the Swisscoy, to be armed as soon as possible, Swiss Radio International (SRI) reported Friday in Geneva.
The soldiers should receive weapons earlier than planned according to the senators. The government had recommended the Kosovo troop wait until next October to be armed.
SRI reported that a platoon of 50 men will be sent to the Balkans next autumn, along with five tanks, to reinforce the 160- strong Swisscoy. The commission held that soldiers should not have to wait until then though and should receive a personal weapon, be it an assault rifle, a machine gun, a pistol or even pepper spray, now.
In a nation-wide referendum, voters accepted in June the principle of arming Swiss peacekeepers on missions abroad.
The commission voted on Thursday that the Swisscoy should pursue its mission in Kosovo until 2003, but that it should also guarantee its own security, which has until now been in the hands of other foreign contingents.
Members of the brigade, all volunteers, have also declared in the past they wanted to carry out their own security duties, and reinforce their own personal safety.
Swisscoy's role in the Balkans has been limited to supplying logistical support to the Austrian battalion of the international forces in Kosovo. The Swiss soldiers first began their mission in 1999.
The House of Representatives security commission had already recommended an extension of the Swisscoy's mission. Both chambers of Parliament will vote on the issue during their next session, said SRI report.
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