HL Deb 01 July 1999 vol 603 cc58-60WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answers by Lord Gilbert on 14 June (WA5–6), whether NATO (a) has a common understanding of international law; (b) follows common criteria in terms of which to define legitimate targets; (c) shares information about targets (such as might have prevented the bombings of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade); and if so, to what extent NATO strategy against Yugoslavia was a joint strategy. [HL3072]

Lord Gilbert

NATO operations in Yugoslavia have been based on collective decisions taken by the North Atlantic Council. SACEUR is responsible for the selection of targets within the authority delegated to him by the Council. Arrangements exist within NATO to ensure that decisions on targeting are consistent and that advice on international law bearing upon such decisions is available and that nations have an opportunity to contribute information relevant to target selection.