HL Deb 06 February 1996 vol 569 cc12-3WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether there is to be any limit set on the arms that may he provided to any of the various recently warring parties in the former Yugoslavia by the United States, by other members of NATO, by Russia and other CIS states, or by members of the Council of Islamic States; if so, what is this limit; and if not, why not.

Lord Chesham:

I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave him on 14 December 1995 at col. WA 115.

Under Annex 1B of the Bosnian Peace Agreement, the parties are also committed to agreeing arms control limits within 180 days of signature. Should they fail to do so, limits set by the peace agreement are imposed automatically.

Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the eventual unlimited provision of weapons, training, intelligence, etc., to the Bosnian Muslim government was a condition set by President Clinton for the United States participation in IFOR.

Lord Chesham:

No.

Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether OSCE rules concerning transparency, confidence-building, crisis prevention, etc., and any of the provisions of the Conventional Forces in Europe agreement will apply to the arming of the states which arc parties to the Dayton agreement, particularly, hut not only, non-European states.

Lord Chesham:

The Dayton Agreement provides for the negotiation of both military confidence building measures between the Bosnian Parties and an arms control agreement between all the Dayton Parties. The CBMI agreement agreed on 26 January draws largely on the OSCE Vienna Document and incorporates OSCE transparency provisions. The UK, as a witness to the negotiations, will be pressing for an arms control agreement that draws largely on the provisions of the CFE, including limits on weaponry, information exchange and verification. These provisions would apply to all weaponry defined in the agreement—whatever its source of supply.

Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether it is their opinion and that of their European allies in NATO that the United States' attempt to provide a "level playing field" in war-fighting capabilities in the area of the former Yugoslavia will promote peace among the recently warring Islamic Catholic and Orthodox parties there when IFOR leaves after 12 months' deployment.

Lord Chesham:

We believe that the most effective way of achieving stability in the former Yugoslavia is through arms control negotiations provided for in the Bosnian Peace Agreement and currently underway in Vienna.

Lord Kennet

Her Majesty's Government:

Whether their statement that "United States policy on arming the Bosnians) after the final lifting of the arms embargo in June] is a matter for them" (H.L. Deb., 24 January) reflects the opinion of all the members of NATO.

Lord Chesham:

We cannot answer for other members of NATO on this subject. British policy was set out in my Answer to the Noble Lord of 25 January (col. WA 87).