§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the impact on British peacekeeping forces(a) in Bosnia, (b) in other regions in the world and (c) not yet deployed of the refusal by the US to extend its Bosnia mission by six months; and if he will make a statement. [66820]
§ Mr. MacShaneOn 30 June the US vetoed the UNSC resolution renewing the UNMIBH/SFOR mandate for Bosnia. An extension was agreed until 3 July to allow more time to seek a solution. It did not prove possible by this deadline to find a solution acceptable to Security Council Members. The Council therefore decided to extend the mandate until 15 July, to allow for further efforts to resolve the issue.
The practical effect of this is that the UN police operation in Bosnia may continue for the time being. The basic operational capability of the SFOR peacekeeping mission is not affected. The legal base for this operation 1182W is also the Dayton peace agreement and the consent of the Bosnian parties. The US have made clear that they intend to maintain their contribution to SFOR.