Czechs, Slovaks start preparing joint military unit

The Czech and Slovak armies have started preparing a joint unit within the European Union forces, Czech Defence Minister Karel Kuehnl said on Thursday after a meeting with his Slovak counterpart Frantisek Kasicky in Prague. Mr Kuehnl said the joint unit with 1,500 soldiers is expected to be ready to operate in peace-keeping missions anywhere in the world as of 2009. The two ministers agreed that the Czech-Slovak military cooperation remained on a high and above-standard level, citing the joint operation of both armies in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina and exchange of experience with the military reform.