Yugoslavia (Hansard, 12 May 1993)

§ 17. Mr. Macdonald
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about developments in Bosnia and the Balkans.

§ 19. Mr. Harry Greenway
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in former Yugoslavia.
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§ 28. Mr. Llwyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation in Bosnia.

§ 34. Mr. Salmond
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European Community counterparts on the conflict in Bosnia; and if he will make a statement.

§ 36. Mr. Bayley
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about Government policy on Bosnia.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
The rejection of the Vance-Owen peace plan by the Bosnian Serb Assembly is a serious set-back but should not be seen as the last word on the agreement. We are pursuing a twin-track policy: to continue planning for implementation of the plan, while at the same time increasing pressure on the Serbs to accept and implement the peace plan and to desist from further attacks. We are already intensifying sanctions, and are consulting closely with our partners and allies on the possibility of stronger measures if the Serbs do not comply.
A political settlement in Bosnia would ease tensions in the region and reduce the risk of possible spillover into other parts of the former Yugoslavia.

§ 20. Mr. Tony Banks
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of sanctions against Serbia.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
Sanctions are having an increasingly harsh effect on the Serbian economy. Inflation is running at over 225 per cent per month. Over 70 per cent of the work force are unemployed or idle.Per capita gross domestic product has fallen to the 1969 level and severe shortages are apparent in all sectors of the economy. The provisions of United Nations Security Council resolution 820 and the tighter enforcement measures being taken will have a major impact on the effectiveness of the sanctions regime.

§ 37. Ms Lynne
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the Government have taken to ensure the release of the women held in Bosnian rape camps; if he will initiate steps to have rape classified as a war crime; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Sherwood (Mr. Tipping) on 27 AprilOfficial Report, column 372. Rape is already a war crime since it is specifically prohibited by article 27 of the fourth Geneva convention.