Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assurances he has had from his Belgian counterpart regarding the supply of defence equipment and material for British armed forces in the event of a crisis.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonBelgium provided valuable assistance in the form of medical and logistic support to the coalition (including British) forces during the recent crisis in the Gulf. As a member of the NATO alliance, Belgium is committed, like other members, to the concept 615W of collective defence. We have not sought any assurance from the Belgians about possible support for British forces in the event of a future crisis outside the NATO area.