The European Union will take over the role in its first military peacekeeping operation.

The NATO force was deployed in the war-scarred Balkan country in 2001, after a peace deal ended fighting between government forces and ethnic Albanian rebels.

"Today, the North Atlantic Council has decided to terminate Operation Allies Harmony in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as of 31 March with a view to the EU commencing a successor operation," Robertson said in a statement.

"To that end NATO will maintain a Senior Civilian Representative and a Senior Military Representative in Skopje, who will continue to assist the authorities in the development of security sector reform and adaptation to NATO standards.

"This decision also marks an important milestone in the development of the NATO-EU strategic partnership," he continued.

Up to 400 EU troops, led by a French general, Pierre Maral, are expected to take over.

The EU had originally hoped to launch the Macedonia mission last year, but the handover was delayed twice as NATO and the EU struggled to find an accord on their relations, mainly due to differences between Greece and Turkey.

A breakthrough political accord was finally struck in December. Last Friday another agreement, on exchange of confidential information between the EU and NATO, was signed in Athens.

A meeting of EU foreign ministers was scheduled Tuesday to make the EU's peacekeeping commitment official.

WAR.WIRE