Apr 12, 2008 7:23 pm US/Central
Pawlenty Visits Troops In Kosovo
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ―
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Governor Pawlenty awards Spc. Michael Anderson, of Anoka, Minn., the Governor's Coin after Anderson helped escort him to sites around Kosovo.
Pfc. Aryka Hill, KFOR Multinational Task Force (East) Public Affairs.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty was in Kosovo on Saturday, thanking members of the Minnesota National Guard for keeping peace during a tense but "historic" period of transition since Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.
"The underlying tensions between the Albanians and the Serbs appear to be in check, more or less, at the moment," Pawlenty said Saturday during a conference call with reporters. But he and Lt. Col. Michael Funk said the situation could change at any moment.
"People have feelings percolating underneath the surface, and those feelings can bubble up at any time," said Funk, who was with the Republican governor at Camp Bondsteel, near the town of Vitina in Kosovo.
Pawlenty headed for the former Yugoslav province Friday, leaving Minnesota earlier than planned because of bad weather and airplane logistics. His destination wasn't revealed until Saturday for security reasons.
He told reporters the primary purpose of his trip was to tell troops that "Minnesotans are thinking of them and we are grateful for them." He spent Saturday touring parts of Kosovo by helicopter and by vehicle. He also attended a town hall meeting where Guard members discussed topics ranging from tuition reimbursements to whether employers could be required to provide more flexibility for spouses of deployed soldiers.
Pawlenty said he'll take some of those concerns back to Minnesota for more research to see whether any policy changes could be made.
"We can't fix them all but we can try," he said. "And some (concerns) might be fixable very easily and quickly."
The 412 members of the Mankato-based Task Force Bayonet -- also known as the 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry -- have been in Kosovo since October as part of NATO peacekeeping operations. The Minnesota unit is part of about 1,400 U.S. troops stationed in Kosovo -- and part of a larger international force of between 15,000 to 16,000 troops there.
The Minnesota unit has training in crowd and riot control, and is working to make sure members of the minority Serbian community are safe. Many Serbs fear violence in newly independent Kosovo, which is 90 percent ethnic Albanian.
Funk said the Minnesota troops were out in full force when Kosovo declared its independence on Feb. 17, and they provided auxiliary security during elections in November. The unit is also responsible for security in the town of Vitina.
"The men and women of the Minnesota National Guard perform extremely well because they are well-trained, they are well-educated, and they are products of great families," Funk said. "The key to success ... is relationships.
"The soldiers of Minnesota know how to treat people right," he said.
The unit is bracing for possible tension around May 11, when Serbia will hold parliamentary elections.
The unit "is prepared to handle any situation," Funk said, adding that NATO has forces available to help in a worst-case scenario.
This was Pawlenty's second trip to Kosovo and his itinerary was busy: He met with troops who stay in tents at Camp Vrello; he visited Vitina, where Task Force Bayonet is responsible for security; he toured a village that is predominantly Serbian and spoke with people upset about Kosovo's independence; and he met with more troops at Camp Bondsteel.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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