HL Deb 23 May 1991 vol 529 cc21-2WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the reference for the quotation used by the Earl of Arran on 18th April (col. WA91), from the report by UN Under Secretary General Ahtisaari, on his recent visit to Iraq, which appeared to modify the statements in paragraph 8 of Mr. Ahtisaari's report of 20th March (UNSC S/22366) that "the recent conflict had wrought new apocalyptic results on the economic infrastructure of Iraq" by stating that allied precision bombing had been "remarkably precise".

The Earl of Arran

I regret that my reply to the noble Lord of 18th April (col.WA91) was based on what I understood to be in United Nations Under-Secretary General Ahtisaari's report. UN Document S/22366 of 20th March 1991 did not contain these remarks.