§ 1. Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of of State for Defence what is the current strength of the British contingent in the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus.
§ Mr. HooleyDoes my right hon. Friend agree that this is one of the most valuable jobs that our defence forces are doing? Does he also agree that it might be useful to hold exercises with other friendly countries, such as Sweden, Canada and Finland, which have shown special interest in international peace keeping operations?
§ Mr. MulleyI agree with my hon. Friend's remarks about the importance of the United Nations force in Cyprus. I am not sure whether it would be practicable to have exercises in this particular kind of activity, but certainly I would consider that. I certainly endorse what my hon. Friend says about the importance of the rôle that our forces and the other national forces are playing in Cyprus.
§ Mr. TownsendWill the right hon. Gentleman please confirm that the two sovereign base areas are crucial to the successful administration of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus? Will he, therefore, resist the attempts of some of his hon. Friends to obtain the withdrawal of Britain from the two sovereign base areas, which are bases in a most important area of NATO?
§ Mr. MulleyI have told the hon. Member on previous occasions, and I repeat, that we have no intention in pre sent circumstances of changing the level of forces in Cyprus. I agree that the logistic support that we offer to the United Nations force in Cyprus is very important indeed for the operations of that force.