§ Mr. DayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further consideration he has given to the deployment of forces in the Bosnia region; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RifkindI informed the House on 14 January at column 1057 that in order to enhance the safety of our troops in Bosnia I was authorising the deployment of additional forces to the region. These included HMS Ark Royal and her carrier group, with a light gun battery and associated support units embarked. 1 made clear that these deployments did not mark any change in our policy in the area. The carrier group reached the Adriatic on 26 January.
We have kept this deployment under continuous review. We judge it still to be essential that the carrier group remains on station in the Adriatic to carry out the role for which it was orginally deployed, and that the associated personnel remain in a high state of readiness. In the light of current circumstances, we are satisfied that this readiness can now be achieved by moving most of the Army personnel concerned, who have been embarked on ships in the Adriatic, to the United Kingdom where they will be able to resume normal training. They will be available to rejoin their equipment by air at very short notice if this becomes necessary.