2009-06-12 11:06:03 -

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - Kosovo's prime minister has welcomed NATO's decision to reduce the number of troops in the new country 10 years after the alliance intervened against Serbia to end the war in Kosovo.
Hashim Thaci told The Associated Press on Friday the decision is a message of «stability and progress in Kosovo» more than a year after declaring independence from Serbia.
NATO defense ministers decided at their annual meeting Thursday that the 14,000-member force in Kosovo _ known as KFOR _ will gradually be drawn down to 10,000.
Kosovo's independence has been recognized by 60 countries including the U.S. and most EU countries.
Serbia has vowed not to recognize Kosovo as a state.