HL Deb 14 June 1999 vol 602 cc5-6WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether NATO is at war with Serbia; and, if not, what are the legal implications of present air attacks. [HL2711]

Lord Gilbert

We have not been at war with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The application of international law to an armed conflict is not dependent upon the existence of a state of war between the parties. In conducting military operations we, along with all other parties to the conflict, are bound by obligations under international law, including those arising under the Geneva Conventions 1949 and the First Additional Protocol to those conventions.