Focusing on the importance of stable civil institutions for future peace in the Balkans, the Canadian government will give $100 million to programs to help strengthen civil society in the strife-torn area, the Toronto Star reports.

Seventy percent of the money is earmarked for Kosovo. While plans have not been made on how to spend most of the money, three programs have already been announced.

Twelve million dollars will go to establish the Canadian Regional Training and Support Project. The project will supplement military and police training in Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Croatia and Bosnia. Most of the money will go to language and peacekeeper training for countries working with NATO, but part will be used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to train local police on how to fight organized crime.

Up to $5 million will be used to repair schools and hospitals in Kosovo, along with primary health care and counseling for people traumatized by the war.

Finally, CARE Canada, The Centre Canadien d'Etude et de Co-operation Internationale and World Vision will receive $6.2 million to provide emergency shelter packages for 5,000 families over the winter. The money will also be used to clear shelter areas of land mines.

Yugoslavia will not be able to participate in the reconstruction programs until its president, Slobodan Milosevic, is removed from power, the Star reports.

At the press conference announcing the grants, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy said that if more money had been spent on building a healthy civil society in the Balkans in the past, billions of dollars going to peacekeeping efforts could have been saved, the Star reports.