Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea is due to leave Dublin this morning on a three-day visit to Bosnia and Kosovo where he will meet Irish troops working on international missions.
Mr O'Dea, who is accompanied on the visit by chief of staff Lieut Gen James Sreenan, will also meet senior UN and EU officials to discuss the the post-conflict development of the region.
In Pristina, Kosovo, tomorrow Mr O'Dea will meet Soren Jessen-Petersen, the special representative of the UN secretary general and head of the UN mission in Kosovo.
Mr Jessen-Petersen will brief Mr O'Dea on recent developments in Kosovo and is expected to outline a planned UN comprehensive review of the implementation of political and human right standards, particularly with regard to the situation of minorities in Kosovo.
The review is likely to take about six to eight weeks and, if positive, will be followed by negotiations on the future status of Kosovo in the autumn.
Mr O'Dea and his travelling party leave Pristina later today for Sarajevo where the Minister will meet Lord Ashdown, the EU's high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina tomorrow afternoon.
On Wednesday, Mr O'Dea and Lieut Gen Sreenan will visit the Camp Eagle US military base in Sarajevo, where about 70 Irish troops are stationed.
Today's visit to see the UN operation in the Balkans comes as the Government is considering agreeing to make Irish troops permanently available to EU battle groups, which will be used on peacekeeping missions around the world.
