Irish troops serving with the international stabilisation force, SFOR, in Bosnia have done "a remarkable job", the Minister of Defence, Mr Andrews, said yesterday. He was on the second day of his visit to the country.
He met Irish SFOR personnel at their base in Butmir Camp. He said the SFOR assignment is "a difficult station", and that the Irish troops had faced "a green field situation when they arrived". Their positive attitude to the job had proved them "a credit to their country".
The Minister also met Gen Eric Shinseki, the commanding officer at SFOR, and Ambassador Bernard Davenport, who will be accredited as Irish ambassador to Bosnia today. Mr Andrews also attended the U2 concert in Sarajevo yesterday evening, where Irish troops carried out security duties.