§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Prime Minister how many civilians have been killed as a result of the use of(a) British and (b) NATO weapons in operation Allied Force against Yugoslavia. [84644]
§ The Prime MinisterAs I said in the House last week, we do everything we can to avoid civilian casualties and minimise damage to civilian property. The cases of injury and death among civilians which have nevertheless occurred by accident have been acknowledged by NATO and are deeply regretted; they are a regrettable consequence of having to use force to stop the violence which Milosevic has unleashed against the people of Kosovo. They stand in contrast to the deliberate murders and brutalities of the Milosevic regime. Verification of civilian casualties is not possible as access to sites is controlled by the Milosevic regime. Alleged evidence of fatalities claimed to arise from allied action should therefore always be treated with great caution.