§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What statements from the UN Secretary-General are required in the UN Security Council before the embargo relating to the former Yugoslavia may be lifted, in part and wholly; and whether these events are subject to the veto of permanent members of the Security Council.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyI refer the noble Lord to the Answers I gave on 14 December(col WA 115) and 9 January (col WA 5). These require further clarification. I will write to the noble Lord and place a copy of my letter in the Libraries of the House.
The position is that, in accordance with paragraph 1 of UNSCR 1021, the UN Secretary-General informed the Security Council in a letter dated 14 December that the Parties had formally signed the Bosnia Peace Agreement. This triggered the phased lift of the UN arms embargo. The embargo will terminate finally 180 days after 14 December and after the submission of a report from the UN Secretary-General on the implementation of Annex 1B (Agreement on Regional Stabilisation) of the Peace Agreement, unless the Council decides otherwise. Neither the submission of this report nor the termination of the embargo is subject to a further decision of the Security Council or to the veto.