§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the latest military situation in the Gulf. [28888]
§ Mr. George RobertsonOur aim is to secure a diplomatic solution to the current crisis and we continue to work to that end. However, in view of the continuing refusal of the Iraqi regime to comply fully with the requirements of the United Nations Security Council, I have reviewed the United Kingdom's military presence in the region and concluded that, as a further precautionary measure, we should deploy 8 Tornado GR I aircraft, with support, to Kuwait. With the agreement of the Government of Kuwait, appropriate planning is in hand and the Tornados will deploy in the next few days.