§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Serbian counterpart regarding deliveries of Yugoslav arms to Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [79553]
§ Mr. MacShaneWe are very concerned about recent reports of arms sales from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to Iraq. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I raised this with the Yugoslav Foreign Minister, Dr. Goran Svilanovic, when he visited the UK on 30–31 October. We urged the Yugoslav Government to investigate the matter fully and bring criminal prosecutions against those responsible. We will continue to press for a thorough investigation.
§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the NATO operation in the Bosnia entity of Republika Srpska related to the sale of military equipment to Iraq. [79550]
§ Mr. MacshaneNATO Stabilisation Force troops carried out a two-day search of the Bosnian Serb government owned Air Force Institute, Orao, on 11–13 October. The search uncovered evidence that Orao had been providing spare engine parts for Iraqi MiG fighter jets, as well as technical assistance in repairing the engines.
Lord Ashdown, the High Representative in Bosnia, made a statement on 27 October demanding an immediate end to such assistance to Iraq and a full enquiry. He called for all those responsible to be brought to account, and for new controls to prevent any recurrence.
A number of officials have since been dismissed. On 30 October, the State government announced a total ban on all arms imports and exports. We strongly support Lord Ashdown's proposals, and will continue to make clear to Bosnian leaders the need to address this as a matter of urgency.