HC Deb 04 May 1994 vol 242 cc548-9W
17. Mr. John Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Mr. Slobodan Milosevic regarding Bosnia.

Mr. Hurd

I have not met President Milosevic since the European Union Foreign Ministers' meeting with the parties in November 1993. My right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is meeting President Milosevic in Belgrade today.

Mr. Worthington

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what offers he has made to international relief agencies to treat casualties of the Bosnian war in British hospitals.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

We have told the International Organisation for Migration, which is responsible for the placement abroad of patients from Bosnia, that we will consider applications on a case-by-case basis. After the recent events in Gorazde, we exceptionally agreed to take up to 50 of those wounded by the shelling.

Mr. Worthington

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information is available from the International Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other United Nations sources about the number of people who require major medical attention which, because of the war, cannot be met within Bosnia.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees medical committee has to date identified 763 patients in need of medical treatment unavailable in Bosnia. Of these, 626 patients have already been evacuated, 41 have places abroad and are waiting to travel, and 96 are awaiting placement.

Mr. Worthington

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests are being made by the Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for medical attention to the wounded from the war in Bosnia; and what representations they have made about the adequacy of the international response when those wounded people cannot be treated in Bosnia.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

Both the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross have issued appeals for their operations in the former Yugoslavia, which include provision for medical supplies and health care. The International Organisation for Migration appealed to Governments in August 1993 for offers of hospital places for patients from the former Yugoslavia who could not be treated locally. As a result, 2,277 places were offered by 33 countries.

Mr. Worthington

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many patients injured in the war in Bosnia each European Union country has treated in its own hospitals.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

Statistics do not distinguish between patients injured in the war and patients who are seriously ill and cannot be treated locally. The latest figures from the International Organisation for Migration are as follows: Belgium: 25; Denmark: 87; France: 10; Germany: 19; Greece: 19; Ireland: 23; Italy: 134; Luxembourg: 5; Netherlands: 15; Portugal: 0; Spain: 16; United Kingdom: 66.

28. Mr. Hardy

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the state of Bosnia has now been taken by the Serbs as a result of military action.

Mr. Hurd

The Bosnian Serb army controls about 70 per cent. of the republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina. A substantial Bosnian Serb withdrawal from territory it now holds will be an essential element in any future peace settlement.

23. Mrs. Gorman

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what British interests are served by involvement of British troops in Bosnia.

Mr. Hurd

It is a British interest to ensure that the war in Bosnia does not spread. It is in keeping with our interests and our position in the UN, EU and NATO that a negotiated settlement should be achieved. We have a responsibility to help relieve human suffering in this tragic corner of Europe.

The presence of UN troops is necessary to underpin the international diplomatic and humanitarian effort and to help restore regional peace and security. The British military contribution, although not the largest, is extremely effective.