§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will seek to amend the terms of reference of IFOR (Implementation Force), so that commanders may comply, without reference to higher authority, with any requests made to them by Judge Richard Goldstone, the Chief Prosecutor, for help in investigating suspected mass graves in Bosnia.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Earl Howe)NATO and IFOR fully support the efforts of the United Nations tribunal which is responsible for investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and bringing to justice those individuals indicted by the tribunal. The Commander of IFOR, Admiral Leighton Smith, and the Chief Prosecutor of the tribunal, have agreed on procedures to co-ordinate their respective missions and on how best IFOR can provide assistance to the tribunal's investigations. Justice Goldstone has said he is satisfied with the level of support offered by Admiral Smith and agreed that IFOR support should be provided within the limits of its mandate and available resources.