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LONDON, Oct 7 - Britain will call on its European partners next week to back a coordinated crackdown on criminal gangs threatening the fragile stability of Kosovo.
A Foreign Office spokesman said Foreign Secretary Robin Cook would set out proposals to combat organised crime in the NATO-protected province at an EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.
"Failure to address this threat now would make it increasingly difficult to achieve goals of democracy and stability in the region," the spokesman said.
Military peacekeepers patrolling Kosovo since Serb forces withdrew in June brought greater security but have been unable to tackle local mafia groups which already operated in the region before NATO's air campaign to evict Serb forces.
The peacekeepers' limited policing ability and ineffective border controls have made the province more vulnerable to criminal gangs, officials say.
"It is perceived as a serious problem. They had a foothold before the conflict and it could get worse," the spokesman said.
He said Cook would propose providing equipment and advice to an international police force in Kosovo and helping establish an organised crime unit.
Cook would also suggest countries second police officers with experience in fighting organised crime and offer specialist assistance to an OSCE police school set up in Kosovo.
European states would also arrange to pool information on organised crime in Kosovo with their EU partners.
If Cook's initiative is supported on Monday it would be presented to an EU summit in Finland at the end of the week, the spokesman said.