§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of British troops deployed with the United Nations implementation force—IFOR—in respect of their role in protecting suspected war crime sites at the request of the international tribunal of The Hague. [28273]
§ Mr. SoamesIFOR's primary mission in Bosnia is to ensure compliance with the military aspects of the peace agreement. It does not have the resources to guard suspected mass grave sites on a continuous basis without detriment to this mission. IFOR provides, however, a secure environment for the tribunal's work and logistic support and protection for its investigators on a case-by-case basis. In addition, IFOR conducts aerial reconnaissance and patrols in the area of suspected mass grave sites to monitor and report on any tampering or suspicious activity.
The United Kingdom fully supports the work of the tribunal and British troops are closely involved in assisting their investigations. The tribunal's chief prosecutor has expressed full satisfaction with the level of support provided by IFOR.