Brussels, 11/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - The Council of Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers decided on Monday 11 November that there will be no early withdrawal of EU military operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR ALTHEA), at least not before a fresh assessment of the situation by the Council in March 2009. Meeting in the “Jumbo” Council, ministers carried out an assessment of the ALTHEA operation and approved the half-yearly recommendations on the operation by High Representative Javier Solana. While political developments in the country are giving the EU great cause for concern (see declaration adopted on Monday by the External Relations Council in EUROPE 9779), it cannot be denied that the security situation remains stable, thanks, among other things, to the ALTHEA operation which is coming to the end of its military and stabilisation duties provided for in the Dayton-Paris Agreement. On Monday, the Council decided that preparatory discussion on possible extension of the operation should be pursued and the outcome of these talks will be put to the Council in March 2009. Solana and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn have called for the EU to take over from the High Representative for the International Community in Bosnia, Slovak Miroslav Lajcak, between now and mid-2009 (Lajcak is already EU Special Representative in Bosnia). The ALTHEA operation should be kept in place at least until that transition, say Solana and Rehn. At the same time, Bosnian authorities should take greater responsibility for and “ownership” of the reform process. Any future changes to the ALTHEA operation should, at any rate take account of political developments in the country, said foreign and defence ministers in their conclusions on Monday. They also felt that the EU police mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUPM), to support the Bosnian authorities in implementing the police reform laws passed in April of this year, was playing an important role in the stabilisation and European integration of the country. The EUPM mandate expires in December 2009. It was agreed that the Council would, when the time came, assess whether or not the mission should be extended after 2009. (H.B./transl.rt)