§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the extent of collateral damage caused by NATO forces in Yugoslavia and of the percentage of bombs and missiles which miss their targets. [80616]
§ The Prime MinisterWe both assess the risk of collateral damage in advance of UK airstrikes and monitor the results afterwards on a case by case basis. Our pilots train intensively to ensure the greatest possible accuracy in bombing attacks and NATO as a whole has made every attempt to reduce the risk of collateral damage. The cases of injury and death among civilians which have nevertheless occurred have been acknowledged by NATO and are deeply regretted. But the accidental civilian casualties caused —despite these stringent precautions—by NATO —bombing, contrast sharply with the deliberate and calculated slaughter of Kosovar civilians instigated by Milosevic in pursuit of ethnic cleansing.
Under the terms of paragraph la of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, I am not prepared to release data on the percentage of bombs and missiles which miss their target. It would be wrong to assume that bombs and missiles which miss their target necessarily cause collateral damage.