HC Deb 26 April 1993 vol 223 c288W
Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of he will make a statement on his assessment of the British interest in the former Yugoslavia.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

We have an important interest in peace and stability in the Balkans. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs made clear in his statement to the House on 19 April, our objectives are to make the Bosnian Serbs and the Serb Government abandon the pursuit of their aims by the use of force; to prevent the fighting from spreading to Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia or elsewhere; to provide the wherewithal, through the Vance-Owen process, for a just political solution; and to relieve the needs of the hungry and sick.

Lady Olga Maitland

To ask the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received regarding protection of those Bosnian Muslims in Sebrenica who have surrendered their weapons to the United Nations from subsequent attack by the Serbs.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

None. UN Security Council resolution 819 demands the immediate cessation of attacks against Srebrenica and that all parties treat the town and its surroundings as a safe area. We have called on all parties to comply fully with this resolution and to co-operate with UNPROFOR in its efforts to monitor the humanitarian situation.

Forward to