HC Deb 10 July 1997 vol 297 cc1071-6 3.30 pm
The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. George Robertson)

With permission, Madam Speaker, I should like to make a statement about indicted war criminals in Bosnia Herzegovina.

At about 8 o'clock this morning London time, British troops serving with the NATO-led stabilisation force in Bosnia took action to detain two individuals against whom the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia—the ICTY—had served sealed indictments.

One was Simo Drljaca, the former police chief of the municipality of Prijedor; a town near Banja Luka in Bosnia Herzegovina. The other was Milan Kovacevic, director of the Prijedor hospital.

The two individuals had been indicted by the ICTY for complicity in genocide, for acts against the Bosnian Muslim and Croat people, in the municipality of Prijedor, between 29 April 1992 and 31 December 1992. In 1992, Drljaca was the Deputy Minister of the Interior of Republika Srpska and thereafter the chief of police in Prijedor. Kovacevic was formerly president of the executive board of the municipality of Prijedor.

The first indictee, Drljaca, was challenged this morning by SFOR personnel. He immediately drew a pistol and shot and wounded one of our soldiers. The other soldiers then returned fire in self-defence and Drljaca was fatally wounded. Two other people who were with Drljaca were detained. They have been transferred to The Hague. Three handguns were recovered at the scene.

Drljaca and the wounded soldier were transferred by helicopter to Tuzla military hospital. The British soldier was wounded in the leg, but is not seriously injured. Milan Kovacevic was detained at the hospital and has now been arrested by the ICTY and transferred to The Hague.

Those detentions took place in accordance with the stabilisation force's mandate from the North Atlantic Council, as NATO Secretary-General Solana has made clear. The action had the specific authority of the Secretary-General, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and the North Atlantic Council. SFOR troops have instructions to detain indictees if they come across them in the course of their normal duties, and providing the tactical situation permits. The SFOR mandate has not been changed. The injury to our soldier and the death of Drljaca illustrate the grave risks involved in such operations and the courage and selflessness of those who serve us.

I am sure that the House will join me in congratulating and commending the courage and professionalism of the British forces involved. I am very proud of their performance, which was up to the highest military standards.

The Government have made it clear repeatedly that they believe that all those indicted for war crimes should face trial at the International Tribunal at The Hague. I strongly held that view when I was an Opposition spokesman, and I repeated my personal commitment—and that of this Government—at the press conference that I held in Sarajevo in May.

With the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Guthrie, I went to Pale on the same visit and told the Bosnian Serb member of the Bosnia Herzegovina presidency, President Krajisnik, of our serious interest in indicted war criminals and, I have to say, we formed the clear impression that the Republika Srpska authorities intended to do little to discharge their solemn obligations. They were not, and have not since been, left in any doubt about the resolve of Britain and our allies to bring to justice those accused of such terrible acts. We will take action when it is practical and sensible to do so.

Thousands of British troops have now served in Bosnia in United Nations and NATO-led operations. They have served to bring peace and stability to a small country whose people have suffered unimaginable horrors. Our troops, like those who acted this morning, serve with skill, professionalism and a genuine commitment to restore a semblance of normality and unity to Bosnia Herzegovina. We owe them and their families a huge debt and today is a good day to make that very clear.

Sir George Young (North-West Hampshire)

I welcome the right hon. Gentleman's statement and confirm that the Opposition give their full support to the action taken by British troops as part of the NATO operation in Bosnia. I assure the House that we strongly support action taken to bring to justice indicted war criminals charged with genocide and other serious crimes.

We join the right hon. Gentleman in wishing a speedy recovery to the injured British soldier and in commending British troops for the bravery that they have displayed under fire. Does not that bring it home to everybody that peacekeeping missions inevitably bring some risk to life and limb?

I quite understand that these are highly sensitive matters and that the Secretary of State will not want to divulge additional details. However, would I be right in saying that the mandate has not changed, but the way in which it is being implemented may have been changed? Was that discussed at the recent NATO summit?

What is being done to ensure that the entity leaders in the region are co-operating in bringing alleged war criminals to justice? Are all necessary steps being taken to deal with possible retaliations against British troops as a result of this morning's incident? How many indicted war criminals have been arrested and how many remain to be brought to justice? What would the implications be if NATO were to withdraw next year, leaving at liberty men charged with such serious offences?

Finally, does not all that underline the need for the United Kingdom to retain well-trained and well-equipped armed forces if we are to play our full part in NATO operations?

Mr. Robertson

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his support for what is being done and for the sensitivity that he has shown for the necessity to keep many of the operational details as confidential as possible.

The decision behind the action was taken at the very highest level in NATO—and that is a point worth underlining again—by the North Atlantic Council and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and it is within SFOR' s existing mandate.

The right hon. Gentleman asked about the number of people who had been arrested on war crime charges. I cannot give him the precise figure, but 75 other ICTY indictments are outstanding—54 Bosnian Serbs, 18 Croats and three Muslims. At every possible opportunity, we repeat the obligation of all the entity partners inside Bosnia Herzegovina to comply with their obligation to hand over those personnel to the International Tribunal.

The right hon. Gentleman mentioned operational details and asked whether there might be retaliations. We are well aware of the sensitive nature of the circumstances in Bosnia Herzegovina, and they were clearly part and parcel of the advance plans that we made. On his point about the dangers of NATO withdrawal next year and the end of the mandate for the stabilisation force, those matters are part of a continuing discussion. What matters at the moment is making sure that progress towards the Dayton objectives is maintained. I prefer to concentrate my energies and efforts on that and not become mesmerised by any withdrawal date. The purpose of Dayton and of the stabilisation force is to bring unity to Bosnia Herzegovina, and we must continue to exert pressure to accomplish that goal.

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that today's action and the professionalism of our troops serving in Bosnia Herzegovina and elsewhere—including in the United Kingdom—show the need to maintain powerful armed forces. In the general election, the Government made a major commitment to powerful armed forces, and we intend to sustain that commitment.

Mr. Menzies Campbell (North-East Fife)

I also commend the professionalism and bravery of the United Kingdom forces involved in today's operation and express my sympathy to the injured soldier. I commend the Secretary of State for his reticence and restraint in describing the events. I hope that the House will accept that, for reasons of operational effectiveness and security, he should not be pressed further on matters of detail.

Hon. Members with an interest in that region understand that its long-term stability will ultimately depend on the apprehension of General Mladic and Mr. Karadzic. Do not today's events, however, demonstrate the difficulties likely in endeavouring to effect such apprehensions, not least because both men are likely to be much more heavily guarded and almost certainly indifferent to the possibility of civilian casualties?

Mr. Robertson

I am grateful to the hon. and learned Gentleman for his support for today's action. He is right to note my reticence on matters of operational detail. I intend to maintain that reticence during today's cross-examination on my statement—not because I am not proud of the action or the meticulous planning that went into it, but because of obvious reasons of confidentiality and sensitivity. He is right to express sympathy for the soldier who was lightly injured in this morning's events. Those good wishes will be passed on. He is also right to mention the risks involved in any exercise in that part of the world. Today's action amply demonstrates those risks.

Some indictees are well known and, naturally, attention has been focused on them. I should like to describe the situation in Prijedor, however, for the benefit of those who may believe that it is insignificant in comparison to Pale or that the two indictees targeted today were somehow lesser than the Mladics and the Karadzics. Before the war in Bosnia, Prijedor was a multi-ethnic city that contained Muslims, Serbs and Croats. In 1992, it was the site of most brutal and appalling episodes of ethnic cleansing, as the Serb population forcibly expelled Muslims and Croats from the city. Concentration camps were established in Omarska and Trnopolje as holding sites for Muslim captives. There are accusations of mass rapes at one camp, and survivors of another camp claim that male prisoners were forced by Serb camp guards to bite off one another's genitals.

We are talking about the scene of some pretty horrifying war crimes. Today's action was taken in the light of those accusations.

Mr. John McWilliam (Blaydon)

I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement and, on behalf of all hon. Members, I ask him to wish the injured soldier a speedy recovery from his wounds. Does my right hon. Friend accept that the presence in one area of so many people indicted for war crimes is in itself destabilising and contrary to the reason for the stabilisation force? I commend the actions of British and allied forces in attempting to stabilise the area, but is it not an indictment of the entire international community that the likes of Mladic, Karadzic and others are apparently able to move around the area at will? Will he assure the House that the strongest pressure will be placed not only on Republika Srpska but on Croatia and Bosnia, to ensure that the activities of those people are curtailed and that they are handed over to the proper authorities?

Mr. Robertson

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the sympathy and support that he has expressed. We have in no way diminished our resolve in relation to those indicted of war crimes; indeed, today's action is an illustration of the fact that we have not forgotten. Maximum pressure will be kept up on the authorities in Bosnia Herzegovina on whom the prime obligation lies to deliver those indicted of war crimes for a fair trial at the international court at The Hague.

Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex)

May I join in the satisfaction so well expressed by the right hon. Gentleman with the conduct and success of our troops in what was clearly an extremely hairy operation, which they conducted with great skill and bravery? Does he agree—I endorse the words of the hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Mr. Campbell)—that the indicted war criminals remain a cancer in the life of that country and that, in the interests of stability and peace, they must be dealt with according to the law? Will he confirm that, as they move around, British troops will continue to remain eagle-eyed for opportunities in their normal course of business to deal with them and that, where that is not open to them, other steps will be taken to secure the indictees?

Mr. Robertson

Again, I welcome the comments of the hon. Gentleman, who was a Defence Minister in the previous Government. I also welcome his support on this occasion when I believe the House is united. We shall have to maintain the pressure for those who have been indicted to stand trial. They will get a fair trial, and those who believe that they are innocent and that the accusations have been trumped up will be dealt with fairly and properly in the international court before their international peers. The upholding of the international law is a critical issue, to which the whole stabilisation force from 34 nations is committed.

Mr. David Winnick (Walsall, North)

The action taken today by the allied forces is, of course, highly commendable. What action is being taken to try to persuade the authorities in Belgrade to co-operate, bearing in mind the fact that at least one of the two top criminals mentioned by the hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Mr. Campbell) was said to be in Serbia proper very recently? One hopes that the Serbian authorities will recognise how essential it is that, if they are to receive economic assistance, they must co-operate with the international community.

As a lad, I followed closely what happened in Nuremberg in 1946, and I have consistently taken the view that those who are alleged to have committed terrible crimes against humanity should certainly be brought to justice. The most effective means is an international tribunal as has now been established, and which was in fact in action, in a different form, 51 years ago.

Mr. Robertson

I agree with my hon. Friend that it is necessary to bring those who have been indicted to the international court. That is what we are attempting to do. The authorities of the Republic of Serbia have been constantly reminded of their obligations—their voluntary obligations—under the Dayton accord to deliver any of those who have been indicted. There is no doubt that the Republic of Serbia will not gain international recognition unless it fulfils those obligations.

Mr. Martin Bell (Tatton)

May I compliment the right hon. Gentleman on his statement and congratulate the British soldiers on the professional way in which they carried out the operation? It has been a long time coming and if it is only a new interpretation of the mandate, it is greatly to be welcomed. The gentlemen concerned are very well known; they are not minor figures, and this is a very significant development. Will the right hon. Gentleman assure us that all the SFOR nations are on board in this enterprise and that British soldiers are not likely to become the arresting arm of SFOR?

Mr. Robertson

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments, especially in relation to individual indictees. Today's operation was a multinational action that took place under the stabilisation force's mandate. It was endorsed at the highest multinational level possible, by the NATO Secretary-General and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe. The latter has made it clear, on the day he changes command, that it was authorised in advance by both of them and by the North Atlantic Council.

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: our soldiers acted with the professionalism and skill we expect of them, but they did so as part of a multinational effort, and it would be grossly unfair and wrong if they were to be singled out in any way as a result of what they have done.

Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley)

I thank my right hon. Friend for one of the clearest statements of intent by the Government that I can remember, to bring to justice those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. I remind him that in January we launched a cross-party campaign in the House with the backing of the Prime Minister. the former Prime Minister and many others to bring Saddam Hussein to justice. The campaign was then promoted in Washington and will be promoted again in Strasbourg next week. Does he envisage a similar exercise to bring to justice war criminals such as Pol Pot and Saddam Hussein?

Mr. Robertson

I thank my hon. Friend for her welcome and her warm words about today's action. I assure her that it is an indication of the resolution of the Government, the international community and the stabilisation force. We mean business. The people concerned all know what they have done and I wonder how they can sleep at night. They will certainly not sleep any more soundly in their beds as a result of today's action. We took serious action which was a declaration of intent. They should not miss that point. Dealing with other people outside that area is an issue which perhaps we should return to on another occasion.

Mr. Quentin Davies (Grantham and Stamford)

This is unambiguously good news. The whole House will warmly endorse the tribute that the right hon. Gentleman has paid to the professionalism and courage of the British forces involved in the operation, which must have required great precision in planning and execution. Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that no system of justice, international or not, can continue to enjoy the public support on which it must rest if there is any suspicion that it shies away from apprehending those who are alleged to be leaders or the instigators of serious crimes? It would be devastating to confidence in the system of international justice if NATO left the area without the remaining 75 indicted war criminals to whom the right hon. Gentleman referred—particularly Mr. Mladic and Mr. Karadzic—having been arrested.

Mr. Robertson

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his support. The bipartisanship evident on this occasion will be recorded outside the House, including, I hope, by those among whom it might have some effect. The troops whom I visited in Bosnia were distinguished by their military skill and professionalism, and their outstanding commitment to rebuilding the area and establishing unity in a country that has not known it since the Stalinist oppression at the beginning of the communist era. That commitment shines through and should be recorded.

Of course, we cannot hope to establish a system of international justice if people who have been indicted for such terrible crimes never come to trial. That is why the resolution of the international community is on trial. There has been no attempt to shy away from the issues. We must always be conscious of the risks and dangers to our troops in any such exercises. We shall act resolutely when it is sensible and prudent to do so.