Prince Charles visits outgoing troops in Bosnia

RAMICI BASE, Bosnia, Mar 1 (Reuters) Britain's Prince Charles visited troops serving in Bosnia on the day Britain said its forces would be withdrawn from the Balkan state by the end of the year.

Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, joined the Welsh Guards to mark St David's Day and attended a parade at the European Union Force's (EUFOR) Ramici Base in north-western Bosnia yesterday.

They handed out traditional St. David's Day leeks to the Welsh Guards.

In London, Britain's Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram said the withdrawal of Britain's more than 600 troops from Bosnia followed an EU decision to cut its 6,000-strong peacekeeping force to 2,500, reflecting security improvements.

REUTERS SY BST2037