RETHYMNO, Greece, October 5 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The European Union must be ready to take up the slack of peacekeeping operations in the Balkans as the United States pulls out due to more “urgent priorities”, a key minister said Saturday, October 5.

Greek Defense Minister Yannis Papantoniou said he hopes the U.S. will leave forces in the region, warning that a total U.S. pullout would give a "negative signal" to the region, Agence France-Press (AFP) said.

"The United States does not seem to be prepared to stay present in the Balkans, because obviously they have other priorities as far as international security is concerned," he said after a meeting of EU defense ministers.

The United States is currently stepping up its pressure on the UN and the Security Council and to issue a new “tough” resolution which will enable the U.S. to attack Iraq.

"Therefore the European Union has to remain ready to continue its own presence, in order to ensure a situation of security and peace in a very, very close and neighboring region," he added.

The warning comes as the European Union is struggling to agree a deal to take over peacekeeping operations in Macedonia, which currently include U.S. troops.

The Greek minister, who chaired the two-day meeting on the Greek island of Crete, said U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had recently said there was no justification for keeping U.S. forces in Macedonia in 2003.

"That means that the United States attach less significance to the Balkans than in the past, and that they are shifting their priorities to other parts of the world," he said.

Europeans, and in particular Greeks because of their geographical proximity, must take the U.S. pullout seriously, he said. U.S. forces are currently involved in international missions in Macedonia, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Kosovo.

"It would be wrong to replace the present forces in the Balkans by exclusively European forces, because a withdrawal of the United States would run the risk of giving a negative signal to the Balkan peoples," he said.

"I believe that the most realistic thing for us, as Europeans, to do would be to play the major role in the Balkans.

"However, as far as is feasible, we would like NATO forces i.e. U.S. forces, to also take part," he added.

Ironically, the comments come as the EU struggles to strike a deal to take over peacekeeping operations in Macedonia, a deal blocked by a dispute between long-time foes Greece and Turkey.

In theory NATO's Amber Fox operation, which includes U.S. troops and which has been in Macedonia since last year, when it helped end a half-year ethnic insurgency, was due to hand over to an EU force later this month.

But officials now admit the handover will not now occur until at least the end of the year, because of the Turkish-Greek row centered on shared control of military assets and planning.

The Greek defense minister pledged Saturday to try to unblock the row, but admitted that progress was unlikely before elections in Turkey on November 3.

British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon even suggested that a peacekeeping force might not be necessary, after the success of recent elections in stabilizing the Balkan state.

"I don't think we should drift into a follow-on mission, whoever it is led by. What I think we would need to do then is make a proper assessment of the military needs at the time.