§ Mr. BradshawTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the export of armoured vehicles for use by the US and British embassies in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the export of armoured vehicles and other non-lethal military equipment to the Kosovo Diplomatic Observers Mission in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. [62007]
§ Mr. Tony LloydThe Government has allowed the export to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) of eight armoured Land Rovers, for use by the US Embassy in Belgrade, and a further two armoured Land Rovers and an armoured Rover saloon for use by the British Embassy in Belgrade. We attach the highest priority to ensuring the safety of staff and personnel at our Embassy in Belgrade, and we rightly recognise that other diplomatic missions, like the US Embassy in Belgrade, attach high priority to the protection of their staff. We were therefore glad to be able to allow these exports, which are not caught by arms embargoes against the FRY.
In advance of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's establishment of the Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM), the Government have allowed also the export of up to 30 armoured Land Rovers and other essential and non-lethal military equipment for use by observers at the British Embassy in Belgrade (known as the Kosovo Diplomatic Observers Mission, or KDOM). It is clearly important that British and other staff at KDOM should be protected in the course of their duties which include monitoring the enforcement of the arms 90W embargo against the FRY. These personnel will, in due course, become members of KVM. The UN Sanctions Committee has raised no objection to these exports.