§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what offers of assistance have been(a) received, (b) discussed and (c) accepted from the Government of Argentina to assist British troops with mine clearance in the Falkland Islands. [28224]
§ Mr. Tony LloydIn 1993, the Argentine Government offered to assist with demining and to meet the cost.
42WThe matter waslast discussed by Ministers at a meeting between the Foreign Secretary and Dr. di Telia in November 1997, and by officials at a routine meeting earlier this week.
We are committed to meeting our obligations under the Ottawa Convention. It is currently considering how best to achieve this in the mined areas on the Falkland Islands. Comprehensive clearance work on the minefields was stopped soon after the conflict following a number of serious incidents involving clearance personnel.