§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Prime Minister what measures he is taking to extend the mandate of the UN Preventive Deployment Force in Macedonia; and what assessment he has made of the effect on efforts to achieve this on the number of UK troops in the region. [81248]
§ The Prime MinisterThe Mandate of the UN Preventative Force (UNPREDEP) expired on 28 February 1999 because there was no consensus within the UN Security Council to renew its mandate. Its role was entirely separate from that of the NATO forces in Macedonia. As there was no UK contingent in UNPPREDEP, its demise has had no effect on the build-up of UK forces in Macedonia.