German troops to remain in Bosnia for 1997--Ruehe .  BONN 1996-08-24  Defence Minister Volker Ruehe said that German troops would stay on in Bosnia next year as part of an international force to ensure the establishment of peace , a newspaper reported on Saturday .  The current NATO-led peace force ( IFOR ) in [START_ENT] Bosnia [END_ENT] is due to return home at the end of the year .  But Ruehe told Bild am Sonntag in an interview that a " new and different mandate " for the troops would be agreed on for next year after the current mandate expires in December .  " After the ( Bosnian ) elections ( on September 14 ) the troops will start being reduced from the beginning of October from 60,000 to about 20,000 .  A completely new and different mandate will be agreed for next year , " Ruehe said .  " The defence ministers will begin negotiations for this at the beginning of September at a NATO meeting , " he told the newspaper in an interview , excerpts of which were released ahead of publication on Sunday .  " But we must avoid giving the impression this peace deployment in former Yugoslavia is being perceived in the long run as an occupation .  On the other hand we must prevent any return of war and massacres " he said .
German troops to remain in Bosnia for 1997--Ruehe .  BONN 1996-08-24  Defence Minister Volker Ruehe said that German troops would stay on in Bosnia next year as part of an international force to ensure the establishment of peace , a newspaper reported on Saturday .  The current NATO-led peace force ( IFOR ) in
Bosnia
is due to return home at the end of the year .  But Ruehe told Bild am Sonntag in an interview that a " new and different mandate " for the troops would be agreed on for next year after the current mandate expires in December .  " After the ( Bosnian ) elections ( on September 14 ) the troops will start being reduced from the beginning of October from 60,000 to about 20,000 .  A completely new and different mandate will be agreed for next year , " Ruehe said .  " The defence ministers will begin negotiations for this at the beginning of September at a NATO meeting , " he told the newspaper in an interview , excerpts of which were released ahead of publication on Sunday .  " But we must avoid giving the impression this peace deployment in former Yugoslavia is being perceived in the long run as an occupation .  On the other hand we must prevent any return of war and massacres " he said .
Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Bosnia and Herzegovina
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