Swiss troops being withdrawn from Bosnia
A contingent of Swiss troops, which has been undertaking logistical support in Bosnia-Herzgovina, is to be pulled out on schedule at the end of this year.
The soldiers, known as yellow berets, have been in Bosnia since 1996 under the auspices of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The Swiss government on Wednesday said the defence ministry could leave any material which would be too expensive to transport back to Switzerland to the Swiss Development Agency in Bosnia or international relief organisations.
A total of 500 Swiss soldiers have worked to support air and road transport, postal services and repair work, following the end of the Bosnian conflict in 1995.
The Swiss have been progressively pulling out their forces over the past few months.
The OSCE has been developing a plan to replace the Swiss with local workers, which should be ready by the end of the year.
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