§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia regarding(a) attacks on civilians, arbitrary 200W arrests and expulsions, and (b) the actions of the Kosovo Liberation Army; and if he will make a statement about the situation in Kosovo. [56555]
§ Mr. Tony LloydWe have made frequent representations to the FYR government concerning the repressive actions of its security forces in Kosovo. In particular, we have condemned the indiscriminate attacks on civilians and the wanton destruction of their homes and livelihoods. We expect the FYR to comply fully with the demands of UNSCR 1199. NATO stands ready to act if they fail to do so. Equally, we expect the Kosovo Liberations Army to meet the demands of UNSCR 1199, including to cease hostilities.
§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that(a) independent human rights monitors have access to all parts of Kosovo, (b) resources are made available for the UN Human Rights Monitoring Programme, and (c) an independent international criminal court is set up; and if he will make a statement. [56778]
§ Mr. Tony Lloyd(a) We co-sponsored United Nations Security Council resolution 1203 (adopted on 24 October) which places the weight of the Security Council behind the commitments made by President Milosevic to comply with early Security Council resolutions 1160 and 1199. The resolution calls for implementation of the agreement with the OSCE to allow 2,000 verifiers to deploy throughout Kosovo to monitor compliance with the earlier resolutions, assisted by NATO reconnaissance flights.
(b) We have contributed £410,000 to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to support the setting up of a field operation in Kosovo.
(c) We are among the first 120 states which decided on 17 July this year to establish the International Criminal Court. However, the Court will come into effect only when sixty States have ratified its Statute and will not have jurisdiction over events which take place before then.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute war crimes against humanity throughout the territory of the former Yugoslavia, including Kosovo.