German General Klaus Reinhardt formally took his new post October 8 as commander of the 40,000 international peacekeeping troops in Kosovo, replacing Lieutenant General Michael Jackson of Britain.

　 This is the first time that a German officer has taken command of NATO mission outside his country since Germany became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1955. European observers regarded it as a strong sign of acceptance of a country slowly shedding its image as instigator of two world wars in this century.

　 In fact, German participation in NATO mission abroad, including that in Bosnia, sparked a heated parliamentary debate at home in view of the nation's history as well as concerns among neighbors about Germany's growing role.

　 However, the NATO's choice of Reinhardt to lead the Kosovo peacekeeping force, known as KFOR, has been widely seen as the natural outgrowth of Germany's resuming a central role in world affairs.

　 When recalling important changes within NATO, Javier Solana said earlier this week: "The changes have come incredibly fast."

　 "Just look at Germany," Solana said at the NATO headquarters here just before the day he formally left his office as the NATO Secretary General.

　 "For years, the Germans believed they would never again send troops abroad because of their history. But today, we have a German general who will soon take command over all of NATO's soldiers in Kosovo," he said.

　 Reinhardt studied history and political science at Freiburg University in southern Germany and received a doctorate of philosophy in 1972. In 1975, He also took part in the US military's Command and General Staff Officer course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

　 Since April 1998, the German officer has been NATO commander of Allied Land Forces Central Europe in Heidelberg, Germany. (Xinhua)