§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the terms of engagement of the Coalition Forces in Iraq which are currently operative. [HL2549]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)I refer the noble Lord to the answers I gave him on 3 April 2003 (Official Report, col. WA 148) and 28 April 2003 (Official Report, col. WA 65). I am withholding the rules of engagement issued to United Kingdom forces in Iraq, in accordance with Exemption 1 (defence, security and international relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information).
I am not in a position to publish the rules of engagement issued to members of coalition armed forces. This is a matter for their governments. I have no doubt, however, that our coalition partners fully understand their obligations to work within the framework of international law.