§ 17 Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's current policy towards the states making up the former Yugoslavia. [36869]
§ Sir Nicholas BonsorOur policy has three aims: to save lives, to prevent the spread of the conflict, and to draw the parties away from fighting and towards a negotiated settlement.
§ Mr. HughesFurther to earlier questions, can the Minister assure us that, as well as dealing with immediate crisis areas, which are the subject of particular attention, the Government, with all their partners both European and transatlantic, are seeking to ensure that all the other areas of the former Yugoslavia are subject to the same level of diplomatic interest so that, if there can be resolution in Bosnia, there can soon be a clear resolution in the whole of the former Yugoslavia for all time?
§ Sir Nicholas BonsorI can certainly assure the hon. Gentleman that we are doing our best to assist the peace process, not only in Bosnia, but throughout the former Yugoslavia. I visited Macedonia, Kosovo and Bosnia only two weeks ago, so I very much hope that we shall be able to make progress. Of course, the Bosnian question is critical to the future of the whole of the former Yugoslavia and we must concentrate on solving that appalling problem.