Rumsfeld asks NATO to cut Bosnia forces

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld proposed on Tuesday that NATO cut its forces in Bosnia by up to a third because their police work there has begun to strain armies needed to fight terrorism.

At a meeting dominated by the Sept. 11 attacks, Rumsfeld and NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson also urged alliance countries to work now to increase military spending to fight terror -- "while these lessons are still fresh in the minds of people everywhere," as Rumsfeld put it.

His proposal to cut one-third of the NATO troops in Bosnia, about 6,000 of the 18,000, was designed as an extension of a British plan to restructure alliance forces there and in Kosovo and Macedonia under one command.

Americans comprise about 17 percent -- or about 3,100 -- of the NATO troops in Bosnia, and Rumsfeld's proposal would mean that about 1,000 of those would leave, said a senior U.S. defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Americans hope the reduction can be accomplished by next fall.

The United States is not proposing a reduction in the NATO force in Kosovo, said the official, but that might logically be something to consider in the future. NATO has 39,000 troops in Kosovo and Macedonia, 5,700 of whom are American.

"Civil security ... is not an effective use of NATO's valuable military assets," Rumsfeld told defense ministers from the 19-nation alliance meeting here. It has put "increasing strain on both our forces and our resources when they face growing demands from critical missions in the war on terrorism."

On the streets, Sarajevans were opposed to any NATO cutback.

"When they came, peace came," said waitress Senada Hasic. "If they go, peace will go and then I'll go."