HL Deb 28 June 1999 vol 603 cc6-7WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Gilbert on 19 May (WA 37), how "the costs associated with their own military activity in support of Kosovo-related operations" are to be calculated and by whom; and what proportion of the damage done in Serbia (including Kosovo) and in neighbouring countries (including those dependent on using the Danube) is each ally expected to cover in the course of reconstitution work. [HL2946]

Lord Burlison

The costs associated with the UK's Kosovo-related military operations will be recorded by my department's financial systems in the normal way. These figures will form the basis of a claim on the Government's Contingency Reserve in due course. There are no fixed proportions on how much each ally is expected to contribute to the cost of reconstitution work in Kosovo; it is for each country to consider its own contribution. The European Union and the World Bank have been taking a lead, in close collaboration with other key partners, in assessing regional needs for reconstruction and recovery and co-ordinating the international response to the crisis. We are also embarking, with the European Commission, on the preparation of damage assessments and a reconstruction programme for Kosovo itself.