§ 11.27 a.m.
§ Lord St John of Bletso asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether there are a sufficient number of peace-keeping forces in Macedonia; and, if not, what plans they have for future British troop deployment.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)My Lords, there are no international peace-keeping forces in Macedonia. The last international military presence was a small EU-led mission "Operation Concordia". It withdrew on 15 December 2003. There is currently an EU police mission in Macedonia—EUPOL Proxima—whose role it is to promote the development of an efficient and 1608 professional police service by mentoring, monitoring and advising the Macedonian police. There are no plans for future British troop deployment to Macedonia.
§ Lord St John of BletsoMy Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for his reply. Given the current instability in the Government of Macedonia—the fact that today its parliament is considering the resignation of the Prime Minister, Mr Kostov—and given the increase in inter-communal tensions following the recent failed referendum and the high risk of a return to violence in Macedonia, do Her Majesty's Government now consider that a more proactive approach to conflict resolution is necessary in that country?
§ Lord BachNo, my Lords, we do not. The security situation in Macedonia is calm. We continue to monitor it very carefully and we know, of course, of the Prime Minister's resignation on 15 November. We do not expect that decision to affect stability: it is very much an internal political matter. We are delighted by the result of the referendum because it means that decentralisation, which was an essential element of the Ohrid agreement of 2001, can move forward. Although we accept that the security situation has to be monitored carefully, we are not of the view that the situation is such that we need to consider any other moves.
§ Lord Astor of HeverMy Lords, what is the Government's position on Macedonia's aspirations to join NATO in 2006?
§ Lord BachMy Lords, we support the application and desire of Macedonia to join NATO, and we look forward to its eventual membership. However, it needs of course to meet the necessary conditions, which, at the risk of repeating myself, is the conclusion of the Ohrid agreement. As the noble Lord knows better than I, Macedonia is a member of the Partnership for Peace, has a membership action plan and is making good progress in defence reform. Our desire is that Macedonia should eventually join NATO.
§ Lord RoperMy Lords, in view of the delicate political situation in Macedonia, does the Minister agree that the work of the EU mission in police training is of very great importance? Will he ensure that it is monitored very carefully to see whether there are ways in which it could, if necessary, be increased?
§ Lord BachMy Lords, I agree very much with the noble Lord. That police mission has been extremely successful. It has approximately 160 personnel, of whom six are British. It supports the development of an efficient and professional police service, promotes European standards of policing and has made good progress in its first year. Its extension for a further year was requested by the former Prime Minister, Mr Kostov.
§ Lord Roberts of ConwyMy Lords, has Britain any special obligation to maintain peace in Macedonia, or is the special obligation on the EU?
§ Lord BachMy Lords, of course, we have a national obligation and responsibility to ensure as best we can 1609 that in this region of Europe, where there have been so many difficulties over the past 10 years or so, there is a move to democracy and peace. The record of Macedonia in that regard is a good one. The matter is extremely relevant to the European Union as well as NATO.
§ The Earl of SandwichMy Lords, does the Minister agree that Macedonia represents a unique example of soldiers becoming successfully involved in humanitarian work, specifically emergency relief for refugees? Does he have other examples of British forces becoming so involved? Have guidelines been issued to avoid situations, such as occur in Afghanistan, of confusion between military and humanitarian work?
§ Lord BachMy Lords, the noble Earl is referring to events in August 2001, when, under the auspices of NATO, Operation Central Harvest was launched under British lead, with 3,500 troops. They managed to do what they were invited to do, which was to disarm ethnic groups and destroy weapons. That was followed by two further NATO operations; indeed, they were extremely successful, and we played a central part in them. I do not need to remind the House how successful we are as a country through our Armed Forces in peace-keeping operations, but that is not what is required in Macedonia at the moment.