Slovakia to withdraw troops from UN mission in Golan Heights

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Slovak parliament on Wednesday approved a government plan to withdraw the country's troops from a UN mission near the Syrian-Israeli border. The vote was 95-2 to withdraw the Slovak contingent of 95 troops serving with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights in June. The force was established after the 1973 Yom Kippur War to monitor the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights. Slovakia has participated in the mission since 1998. The Slovak Defense Ministry said it wants to focus on other foreign missions, including in Afghanistan, Cyprus and the Balkans. In December, the parliament approved Slovak troop increases in Afghanistan and Kosovo.