§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made since September in achieving continuity and speed in the work of mine clearance in the north of Somalia, Republic of Somaliland.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydIn 1991 Britain made available £300,000 as its contribution to a multi-donor mine clearance operation in northern Somalia, which ended in November 1992. There have been problems in funding the operation. Following interventions by ODA, proposals are being formulated to extend the operation until February 1993 and to resolve the funding difficulties. Meanwhile, we have committed an additional £40,000 to ensure that operations continue. A UNDP mine-clearance coordinator is currently preparing proposals for a new mine clearance project in northern Somalia from February 1993. We shall consider this in due course.