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The Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mr. Nicholas Soames): The House will recall the statement made last Thursday by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence. At that time, fighting in eastern Zaire was reported to have intensified. There were estimates that hundreds of thousands of refugees were at risk, and that the death toll was likely to escalate rapidly.

In the face of a potential humanitarian tragedy, my right hon. Friend made it plain that the United Kingdom was ready to play its part in the temporary multinational force for which United Nations Security Council resolution 1078 had called. But he also emphasised the absolute necessity to establish clear objectives for any force dispatched to the region, and announced that we had authorised a reconnaissance party led by Brigadier Jonathan Thomson, the chief of joint rapid deployment force operations, to travel to Zaire to establish in greater detail what the situation was on the ground. The House will wish to be aware that the party was vastly assisted by Her Majesty's ambassador to Rwanda, Miss Kay Oliver, and her team, who have done a remarkable job in the past few days and deserve great credit.

The recce party made its report yesterday. It confirmed that the return of refugees from north Kivu to Rwanda was largely complete and that the situation in the area around Goma had therefore eased substantially.

It is possible that last week's decision to mount a multinational force was instrumental in persuading the Hutu militia to flee and the refugees to return home. By contrast, the position in the area to the south of Lake Kivu remains confused and complex. The precise whereabouts and condition of a large number of refugees are unclear. There remains a critical shortage of information on what is happening in the south Kivu region, which makes it extremely difficult for military planners and humanitarian agencies alike to assess what action is needed; although it is clear in any event that humanitarian support will be needed in Rwanda as refugees return to their homes.

The House should know that my right hon. Friend has authorised the deployment of a Canberra photo-reconnaissance aircraft with its attendant support to the area, to assist in establishing a clearer picture. Until we have more detailed information, we shall be in no position to take sensible decisions on how best to help.

In the mean time, we are continuing to plan a range of options with our potential partners in a multinational force. We also continue to keep in close touch with the humanitarian agencies and we are monitoring the situation closely as it develops. My noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development has announced this afternoon that a further £10 million will be provided to help to meet needs in Rwanda and the great lakes region. That brings our total contribution for Rwanda and its refugees to more than £18 million in 1996.

The option of deploying a multinational force to south Kivu remains open. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made it clear last week that the Government were ready to take prompt and effective action to help to overcome the crisis. That remains the case.

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In the light of the changed circumstances, we are urgently assessing the direction of events and consulting our partners further before final decisions are taken. The House will, I know, understand and agree, and will wish to be reassured that we are making absolutely certain that any contribution, whether military, political or in the form of aid, properly meets the needs of the people in the region.

Dr. Reid: I thank the Minister and welcome the additional £10 million that has been made available. Like the entire House, I welcome the fact that hundreds of thousands of refugees have now reached comparative, albeit temporary, safety.

We recognise the fluidity of the situation. The nature of the deployment of any British troops may have to be subject to revision in the light of the professional evaluation of the reconnaissance party.

We welcome the Government's efforts to enhance our information-gathering capability by sending a Canberra aircraft to assess the situation.

When does the Minister expect to be able to give a detailed response to the findings of the recce party? Does he recognise that hundreds of thousands of refugees are still stranded in eastern Zaire and that it is not clear what the Hutu militias are planning--possibly a regrouping and reinforcement of their positions?

Can the Minister confirm reports that members of the British team sent to eastern Zaire were unable to visit parts of the area that they wished to see because they were barred by the Hutu militia, and that they had to make observations instead from the high ground in Rwanda? Does he accept that there remain formidable problems of logistics and organisation, even for the refugees who have reached comparative safety, and that those are problems for which military skills and logistical operations may be of great assistance?

Although we appreciate that the situation is fluid, I am sure that the House would be grateful if the Minister told us his current thinking about the number of troops to be sent. In that context, what are the implications for Britain of America's announcement that it is to send fewer than 1,000 support troops? What communications has he had with our western allies in assessing the situation?

Finally, will the Minister accept the Opposition's assurance that we remain supportive in principle, should the decision be taken to deploy our troops in the light of the reconnaissance report? We ask, however, for an assurance that any final decision will be subject to a fuller statement from the Minister, so that the House can examine the details of the mission objectives, command structures and any rules of engagement that might be appropriate.

Mr. Soames: I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his remarks and for his support throughout.

The hon. Gentleman asked about the reconnaissance party. I can confirm that members of the reconnaissance party were well received wherever they went and that they were able to make assessments on the ground and see all that they needed to see. They did not have any trouble of the kind that the hon. Gentleman feared. They could see from where they were all that they needed to see. They have made a full and detailed report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and to Ministers and the chiefs.

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The hon. Gentleman's point about logistics and the difficulty of delivering aid is well taken. Clearly, if a force of any size were deployed under the present circumstances, one of the principal requirements would be the ability to deliver aid and to resolve the associated logistical problems.

The hon. Gentleman asked about our current thinking on the number of troops. That depends on our assessment of the situation and our absolute requirement to clarify the situation on the ground, but it seems that the problem is not as serious as we originally thought. The House will realise that although the position in the north is considerably eased, there is no such assurance about conditions in the south. We are anxiously seeking information about those refugees.

The hon. Gentleman will realise that the liaison between our western allies and the United States is extremely close and on-going. A team from our permanent joint headquarters will deploy to Stuttgart, to EUCOM, for the planning meeting that starts tomorrow, and I hope that we shall, towards the end of the week, have a clearer idea of the situation on the ground and of the configuration of forces that we shall need. I reassure the House, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State did last week, that there will be no question of going without a clear mission, proper command and control and everything else about which the House expressed concern.

Mr. Michael Colvin (Romsey and Waterside): Most people will acknowledge that the Ministry of Defence has responded to a very complex and confused situation in eastern Zaire and Rwanda with commendable clarity and resolve, unlike some other countries. It is just as well that our new joint rapid deployment force was operational and not committed elsewhere.

We also applaud the readiness with which 10 African states have come forward to volunteer troops to a combined joint task force. Should not we be giving African countries and, perhaps, countries in other continents, help in setting up planning cells and command structures, so that if such emergencies arise again, as they are bound to do, at least they will be able to help themselves rather than being forced to rely on outside help, no matter how ready other countries are to assist?

Mr. Soames: I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I think that the House will agree that Her Majesty's Government responded as one would expect them to in the circumstances of impending potential humanitarian catastrophe, by taking steps to ensure that Britain would be able to make its rightful contribution. It is lucky that the JRDF was not deployed elsewhere. It has also turned out to be an extraordinary stroke of good fortune that it was up and configured. The new permanent joint headquarters has played a notable role in the planning of the operation.

I wholly endorse what my hon. Friend said about African countries and peacekeeping operations. As he knows, Britain has had a number of short-term training teams deployed in Africa over time. They have played a notable role. Indeed, Britain played a great role in the conference on peacekeeping in Africa, in Zimbabwe, last year. I agree that African countries need to be able to play a bigger part in resolving their own difficulties, which would be greatly to their advantage.

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