Govt Chief Whip to visit troops in Kosovo
Government chief whip Tom Kitt today begins a three-day visit to Kosovo as Irish troops take control of a multinational taskforce in the war-torn Balkan state.
The Defence Forces will be commanding operations in one of the country’s five NATO-led brigades for the next 12 months.
Mr Kitt, who also became Minister of State for Defence in the general election reshuffle, will also view a number of humanitarian projects being supported by Irish troops during the trip.
Talks are also scheduled with the deputy prime minister of Kosovo, Lufti Haziri, and Oliver Ivanovic, a Serb member of the Kosovo Assembly.
It is the first time Ireland has commanded a brigade-size force in a multinational peace support operation.
Ireland took over from Sweden in becoming the lead Framework Nation last month. Ireland’s area of command will cover the Pristina region, covering seven municipalities with a population of approximately one million people.
An overall total of 15,000 troops currently serve in the five Multinational Task Forces with personnel from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, Finland and Latvia.
Mr Kitt said: “Never before has Ireland acted in overall command of a multinational task force and it is testament to the professionalism and dedication of our Defence Forces.”
Mr Kitt will also meet Brig. Gen. Gerry Hegarty – the first Irish officer to hold the post of Force Commander in Kosovo. Most of the key planning and logistics posts will be filled by Irish Defence Forces officers.
Ireland will take control of operations until July 2008.
Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea has twice visited troops in Kosovo over the past two years.
