HC Deb 26 July 1988 vol 138 c219W
42. Sir John Biggs-Davison

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the current situation with regard to British and Allied patrolling of the Gulf.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

The British Government welcome the current moves towards a settlement of the Iran-Iraq conflict, but it would be premature to modify the current pattern of operations of the Armilla patrol or the tri-national United Kingdom/Netherlands/Belgium mine countermeasures until the threat to merchant shipping in the Gulf has clearly been seen to have diminished.