Serbia and Montenegro (Hansard, 14 April 1993)

§ 21. Mr. Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he proposes to improve the effectiveness and impact of United Nations and European Community sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
We have provided customs personnel to the sanctions assistance missions, which are helping Serbia's neighbours enforce sanctions more effectively, and £100,000 to establish a communications network along the Danube. I am confident -that sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro are already having an impact, but sanctions may need to be,tightened still further to put pressure on the Serbs to sign- the Vance-Owen plan; further action is under consideration in New York.

§ Mr. Mackinlay
Has the Minister had an opportunity to read the report of the debate in European Standing Committee B which, a few weeks ago, probed the Government on the policing and implementation of sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro as they relate to this country? It was shown that there was an hiatus and an unsatisfactory system of controlling and policing exports from the United Kingdom to the former states of Yugoslavia. Further, there was an indication from the Minister that Greece was, to say the least, sloppy in its policing of the sanctions regime. Will the Minister bear that in mind and tell us whether the Government have taken measures to ensure that the United Kingdom is rigorously applying the sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro and that there is no sloppiness on behalf of the United Kingdom?

§ Mr. Hogg
It is certainly our intention rigorously to impose sanctions and I am not aware of any shortcomings. If the hon. Gentleman—or any other hon. Member, for that matter—has evidence of substantial shortcomings, the Government will be anxious to look at it.
The point has been made to Greece on a number of occasions that it is important that all Community members most vigorously and rigorously eforce the sanctions. As the hon. Member for Thurrock (Mr. 826 Mackinlay) knows, there is a draft resolution in New York that will further tighten the sanctions regime if it is voted for in the Security Council.

§ Mr. Dickens
Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that it is one thing to have tight sanctions to try to bring the parties in the former Yugoslavia to their senses and to a peaceful resolution, but that it is another thing to start talking from the comfort of another place about military intervention, which would mean that the fighting forces in Yugoslavia would move into the towns where the bombing would be on civilians and children?

§ Ms Eagle
It already is.

§ Mr. Dickens
Yes. Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that many people in the United Kingdom and, indeed, the Chamber would be aggrieved if the British armed forces were used in a warlike manner in the former Yugoslavia? The people who are crying for military intervention would soon be crying for the bodies of our men and women if they, were returned in body bags to Southampton and other 'airports.

§ Mr. Hogg
I agree with a lot of what my hon. Friend said. It seems that there are two different sorts of military action that one should consider. The first is whether it would be right to deploy United Kingdom ground troops in an aggressive role—and then the question is whether it would be right in what is effectively a civil war to take action that would condemn probably a substantial number of British soldiers to die. That is a question which the House must consider. My view is that it would not be right.
A different question is whether it would be right in any circumstances to use air power. That question is constantly kept under review because there is a case to be made for it. Against that, there are serious disadvantages associated with that policy. So far, it has been held—in my view, rightly—that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

§ Ms Short
Does the Minister agree that there are awful parallels between Europe's failure to protect the jews before the second world war and our failure to protect the Bosnians from the systematic use of rape and ethnic cleansing? Is it not proposed that massive ground forces will be put in place if the Vance-Owen proposals are carried? The Serbs are refusing to accept implementation of those proposals. Can we not have an alternative plan at least to create some safe havens for the Bosnians?

§ Mr. Hogg
There is a distinction to be made between deploying troops in a peacemaking role and deploying troops in a peacekeeping role. So far as the latter is concerned, if there were a genuine agreement and a sustainable ceasefire, and if there were substantial troop contributions from a number of other countries—most notably the United States—and the control and command mechanisms seemed right, we should look sympathetically at a proposal that British troops should be used in a peacekeeping role.
There is a major distinction between that operation and what the hon. Lady is referring to, which is to use troops in a peacemaking role—to enforce peace by military action. I ask the hon. Lady rhetorically: is it right to condemn British soldiers to die for that purpose? I say no.