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BELFAST, Aug 2 - The IRA's political wing Sinn Fein on Monday hit out at Britain's decision to send 60 Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers to Kosovo as part of a peace-keeping force, calling it an insult to Catholics.
Sinn Fein's chief party whip and political ally of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) Alex Maskey, said the UK government's decision was "offensive".
"Nationalists find it offensive that the RUC is being described as the best police force to police a divided society," Maskey told BBC radio.
But Protestant Ulster Unionists insist the RUC is the best force to police Kosovo.
Ken Maginnis, security spokesman of the Ulster Unionist Party, said the RUC was well equipped to police Kosovo as a result of its "vast experience" in policing Northern Ireland.
Protestant Ulster Unionists and Northern Ireland's Catholics have experienced an uneasy peace since the Irish Republican Army's guerillas - who oppose Britain's rule over Northern Ireland - called a ceasefire.
The newly appointed EU commissioner, Chris Patten, is overseeing the review of Northern Ireland's police force after last year's landmark Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland.
He will detail his proposed reforms to the RUC in the autumn.