The decision to keep the KFOR mission at its current strength of 17,500 was taken by ambassadors at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's top decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, said the official.

The head of the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Soren Jessen-Petersen, underlined the need for a continued strong military presence in New York earlier this week.

"We are entering a crucial phase in Kosovo and it is more than ever essential that we closely synchronise our political strategy with the right level of military preparedness and ability to respond," he said in a report to the UN Security Council.

KFOR was widely criticized for not being able to keep a lid on anti-Serb violence which erupted in March, leaving 19 people dead and more than 900 injured, while 29 Orthodox churches and over 900 Serb houses were destroyed.

"We had difficulties in coping with that... but we're in better shape now," said the official. NATO rushed in reinforcements at the time, and did so again to ensure security for October elections, bringing KFOR to over 19,000 troops.

Kosovo has been under UN and NATO control since 1999 after the NATO alliance launched a bombing campaign to end former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanians in the province.

Wednesday's decision, taken at the level of ambassadors from the 26-member organization, is to due to be formally approved next week at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

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