§ 23. Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the deployment of British armed forces in Sierra Leone. [24485]
§ Mr. HoonAs was announced on 18 December 2001, it has been decided to maintain the current military presence in Sierra Leone of 360 shore-based personnel over the period of presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for May 2002. The military training and assistance programme continues to make good progress towards its goal of developing a professional, accountable and effective Sierra Leone Army, able to protect the security and integrity of Sierra Leone on its own. The International Military Advisory and Training Team in Sierra Leone, which Britain leads and to which we are the major contributors, will continue the task of developing the capacity of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces over the longer term.