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Mr. Robertson: I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his support for what is being done and for the sensitivity that he has shown for the necessity to keep many of the operational details as confidential as possible.
The decision behind the action was taken at the very highest level in NATO--and that is a point worth underlining again--by the North Atlantic Council and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and it is within SFOR's existing mandate.
The right hon. Gentleman asked about the number of people who had been arrested on war crime charges. I cannot give him the precise figure, but 75 other ICTY indictments are outstanding--54 Bosnian Serbs, 18 Croats and three Muslims. At every possible opportunity,
we repeat the obligation of all the entity partners inside Bosnia Herzegovina to comply with their obligation to hand over those personnel to the International Tribunal.
The right hon. Gentleman mentioned operational details and asked whether there might be retaliations. We are well aware of the sensitive nature of the circumstances in Bosnia Herzegovina, and they were clearly part and parcel of the advance plans that we made. On his point about the dangers of NATO withdrawal next year and the end of the mandate for the stabilisation force, those matters are part of a continuing discussion. What matters at the moment is making sure that progress towards the Dayton objectives is maintained. I prefer to concentrate my energies and efforts on that and not become mesmerised by any withdrawal date. The purpose of Dayton and of the stabilisation force is to bring unity to Bosnia Herzegovina, and we must continue to exert pressure to accomplish that goal.
The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that today's action and the professionalism of our troops serving in Bosnia Herzegovina and elsewhere--including in the United Kingdom--show the need to maintain powerful armed forces. In the general election, the Government made a major commitment to powerful armed forces, and we intend to sustain that commitment.
Mr. Menzies Campbell (North-East Fife):
I also commend the professionalism and bravery of the United Kingdom forces involved in today's operation and express my sympathy to the injured soldier. I commend the Secretary of State for his reticence and restraint in describing the events. I hope that the House will accept that, for reasons of operational effectiveness and security, he should not be pressed further on matters of detail.
Hon. Members with an interest in that region understand that its long-term stability will ultimately depend on the apprehension of General Mladic and Mr. Karadzic. Do not today's events, however, demonstrate the difficulties likely in endeavouring to effect such apprehensions, not least because both men are likely to be much more heavily guarded and almost certainly indifferent to the possibility of civilian casualties?
Mr. Robertson:
I am grateful to the hon. and learned Gentleman for his support for today's action. He is right to note my reticence on matters of operational detail. I intend to maintain that reticence during today's cross-examination on my statement--not because I am not proud of the action or the meticulous planning that went into it, but because of obvious reasons of confidentiality and sensitivity. He is right to express sympathy for the soldier who was lightly injured in this morning's events. Those good wishes will be passed on. He is also right to mention the risks involved in any exercise in that part of the world. Today's action amply demonstrates those risks.
Some indictees are well known and, naturally, attention has been focused on them. I should like to describe the situation in Prijedor, however, for the benefit of those who may believe that it is insignificant in comparison to Pale or that the two indictees targeted today were somehow lesser than the Mladics and the Karadzics. Before the war in Bosnia, Prijedor was a multi-ethnic city that contained Muslims, Serbs and Croats. In 1992, it was the site of most brutal and appalling episodes of ethnic cleansing, as
the Serb population forcibly expelled Muslims and Croats from the city. Concentration camps were established in Omarska and Trnopolje as holding sites for Muslim captives. There are accusations of mass rapes at one camp, and survivors of another camp claim that male prisoners were forced by Serb camp guards to bite off one another's genitals.
We are talking about the scene of some pretty horrifying war crimes. Today's action was taken in the light of those accusations.
Mr. John McWilliam (Blaydon):
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement and, on behalf of all hon. Members, I ask him to wish the injured soldier a speedy recovery from his wounds. Does my right hon. Friend accept that the presence in one area of so many people indicted for war crimes is in itself destabilising and contrary to the reason for the stabilisation force? I commend the actions of British and allied forces in attempting to stabilise the area, but is it not an indictment of the entire international community that the likes of Mladic, Karadzic and others are apparently able to move around the area at will? Will he assure the House that the strongest pressure will be placed not only on Republika Srpska but on Croatia and Bosnia, to ensure that the activities of those people are curtailed and that they are handed over to the proper authorities?
Mr. Robertson:
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the sympathy and support that he has expressed. We have in no way diminished our resolve in relation to those indicted of war crimes; indeed, today's action is an illustration of the fact that we have not forgotten. Maximum pressure will be kept up on the authorities in Bosnia Herzegovina on whom the prime obligation lies to deliver those indicted of war crimes for a fair trial at the international court at The Hague.
Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex):
May I join in the satisfaction so well expressed by the right hon. Gentleman with the conduct and success of our troops in what was clearly an extremely hairy operation, which they conducted with great skill and bravery? Does he agree--I endorse the words of the hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Mr. Campbell)--that the indicted war criminals remain a cancer in the life of that country and that, in the interests of stability and peace, they must be dealt with according to the law? Will he confirm that, as they move around, British troops will continue to remain eagle-eyed for opportunities in their normal course of business to deal with them and that, where that is not open to them, other steps will be taken to secure the indictees?
Mr. Robertson:
Again, I welcome the comments of the hon. Gentleman, who was a Defence Minister in the previous Government. I also welcome his support on this occasion when I believe the House is united. We shall have to maintain the pressure for those who have been indicted to stand trial. They will get a fair trial, and those who believe that they are innocent and that the accusations have been trumped up will be dealt with fairly and properly in the international court before their international peers. The upholding of the international law is a critical issue, to which the whole stabilisation force from 34 nations is committed.
Mr. David Winnick (Walsall, North):
The action taken today by the allied forces is, of course, highly
As a lad, I followed closely what happened in Nuremberg in 1946, and I have consistently taken the view that those who are alleged to have committed terrible crimes against humanity should certainly be brought to justice. The most effective means is an international tribunal as has now been established, and which was in fact in action, in a different form, 51 years ago.
Mr. Robertson:
I agree with my hon. Friend that it is necessary to bring those who have been indicted to the international court. That is what we are attempting to do. The authorities of the Republic of Serbia have been constantly reminded of their obligations--their voluntary obligations--under the Dayton accord to deliver any of those who have been indicted. There is no doubt that the Republic of Serbia will not gain international recognition unless it fulfils those obligations.
Mr. Martin Bell (Tatton):
May I compliment the right hon. Gentleman on his statement and congratulate the British soldiers on the professional way in which they carried out the operation? It has been a long time coming and if it is only a new interpretation of the mandate, it is greatly to be welcomed. The gentlemen concerned are very well known; they are not minor figures, and this is a very significant development. Will the right hon. Gentleman assure us that all the SFOR nations are on board in this enterprise and that British soldiers are not likely to become the arresting arm of SFOR?
Mr. Robertson:
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments, especially in relation to individual indictees. Today's operation was a multinational action that took place under the stabilisation force's mandate. It was endorsed at the highest multinational level possible, by the NATO Secretary-General and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe. The latter has made it clear, on the day he changes command, that it was authorised in advance by both of them and by the North Atlantic Council.
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