§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made with the landmine clearance programme in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and when he expects the operation to be completed. [135216]
§ Mr. VazIt is difficult to obtain precise figures for demining progress to date in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) estimates indicate that, up to 1999, 50,000 devices (mines and unexploded ordnance) had been cleared; official figures from the local Mine Action Centres suggest that over 12,600 devices have so far been cleared in 1999 and 2000. The overall system of demining in Bosnia and Herzegovina is560W currently under review, in an effort to accelerate the process; but it is not possible to give an estimated end-date for the operation.