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SOCIAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTIONS (TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS, ETC.) BILL [LORDS]
Ordered,
That, during the proceedings on the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Bill [Lords], the Standing Committee on the Bill shall have leave to sit twice on the first day on which it shall meet.--[Mr. Hill.]
Ordered,
That the quorum of the Committee appointed by Order [8th February] to report on the draft bill on the Food Standards Agency (Cm. 4249) shall be five.--[Mr. Hill.]
11 Feb 1999 : Column 565
Kosovo
7 pm
The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. George Robertson): With permission, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I should like to make a statement on decisions that have been taken today to ensure that British forces are immediately available in case a NATO force is required to deploy to Kosovo.
As the House will be aware, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is currently at the Kosovo proximity talks at Rambouillet in France, which he is jointly chairing with the French Foreign Minister, Hubert Vedrine. A news blockade has been imposed on the talks to encourage the parties to focus on the discussions rather than on telling the world how they are going. However, it is clear that progress is being made. Contact Group Foreign Ministers will take stock of what remains to be achieved in the negotiations when they meet in Paris on Sunday.
It is unclear at this stage whether a NATO force will be required to support any peace agreement. Any decision to proceed with such a force will have to be taken by Britain and its allies in NATO following a satisfactory conclusion to the talks at Rambouillet. No such decision has yet been taken. However, it is clear that, should such a force be required, it will have to be ready to go into Kosovo as quickly as possible after a peace agreement is reached. A military force that is to be effective must be assembled well in advance. That means that we and our allies must have our forces in the region ready to go into action at short notice.
For this reason, the Government have decided today to send to the region at the beginning of next week the vehicles and other heavy equipment of the units that would form the leading elements of any deployment. They will include Challenger tanks and Warrior armoured vehicles and artillery. The units principally involved are the King's Royal Hussars, the Irish Guards and 4 Regiment Royal Artillery, with a tactical headquarters drawn from 4 Armoured Brigade. Other units will also be providing equipment. Loading of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships Sea Centurion and Sea Crusader will begin on Monday.
Although those vehicles and heavy equipment will be accompanied by a small number of personnel, the majority of the personnel from the units involved will remain at their bases at short notice to move and join their vehicles. The decision whether to deploy them will depend on how the situation develops. To prepare for the arrival of the equipment in the region, about 200 key logistics personnel will deploy next week to Greece and Macedonia, where we already have an armoured infantry company deployed as part of the NATO extraction force.
The House will draw from those decisions the clear message that the United Kingdom is determined to play its part in supporting a negotiated settlement in Kosovo. However, we will deploy our forces only in support of an operation with a clear mission and clear objectives, and alongside our allies. Contingency planning is continuing at NATO, with Britain playing a full part. Other allies are making preparations similar to ourselves. From my contacts with my fellow NATO Defence Ministers, I know that others will be on the ground alongside us should a decision be made to go ahead with the operation.
The decision that I am announcing this evening represents prudent military contingency planning. In no way does it prejudge any decision to proceed with an operation. Whether a force is to be deployed into Kosovo will depend in large measure on the parties: neither side can take it for granted that NATO will deploy a ground force. Both sides must make the hard choices necessary to reach an agreement.
Mr. Robert Key (Salisbury):
As the Secretary of State knows, my hon. Friend the Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Mr. Maples) is in Scotland tonight.
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement and for extending to us the courtesy of an advance copy. I also thank the Leader of the House for responding quickly to this afternoon's request for a debate by the shadow Leader of the House, my right hon. Friend the Member for North-West Hampshire (Sir G. Young).
This is a grave statement, and the House should not underestimate its significance. The Opposition support the Government in their attempts to find a peaceful solution to this protracted problem. We know that what the Secretary of State announced makes good military sense. It leaves many difficult questions for him and for us. The political and diplomatic issues will have to wait for another day, but the deployment of ground troops abroad is a serious commitment.
Can the Secretary of State tell us the extent of United States participation in the operation? For example, what air support will be provided by the United States or other states? What other European countries will deploy to the Balkans in addition to France? What will be the status of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe observers in the Kosovo monitoring force as a result of this significant move? What will happen to the extraction force? If he can, I should be grateful if he would tell us about the British contingent. We can think of no better commander for this operation than General Sir Mike Jackson. He is an outstanding leader who enjoys the confidence of the House and that not only of British troops but of others who are likely to participate.
Can the Secretary of State say anything about the rules of engagement? I do not expect him to break confidences, but will they be similar to those in Bosnia? What will be the impact on overstretch in the British Army following the strategic defence review and the commitments clearly laid out in that? For example, what will be the impact of taking the ARRC--the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps--from Germany for a long period? How long does the Secretary of State anticipate that the deployment will last? This is a sample deployment, but a serious commitment could follow from it. Would it be a three-year term--I believe that that is what is being discussed at Rambouillet--or will it be longer? What will be our exit strategy? Who will pay? Will the cost fall on the defence budget or will the Treasury find money from the contingency fund?
All hon. Members must extend their good wishes to all our troops who participate, particularly to the advanced forces that will be sent next week. I also mention the non-uniformed staff of the Ministry of Defence who are looking after the strategic tail, right down to the people helping with the aircraft, ships and so on without which the front-line forces could not meet their commitments. Of course, we all think of the families of the forces and of all those who are involved in this operation in a supportive role.
As the House goes into a short recess next week, will the Secretary of State be sure to keep us all informed? I understand that the other place will not be in recess next week, but we must be kept informed of any moves on this important development.
Mr. Robertson:
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his courtesy and his recognition that we have responded to the wish of the House for information on what is, I stress, a purely precautionary contingency operation. I believe strongly that it would be irresponsible for us not to take these precautionary moves and put in place contingencies. Although many of his questions cannot be answered at this stage, they will form part of the background to any decision eventually taken by the Government. We will, of course, inform the House of any such decision.
The hon. Gentleman asked about the role that the United States might play in any such force and about other European allies beyond France. I expect that our NATO allies would be involved in any force that might be put in place, should there be an agreement at appropriate levels, but no decisions have been taken on whether there should be a force or on its ultimate size. I expect and hope that the United States and the other major allies would be involved in it. Having discussed that matter in person with other NATO Defence Ministers last weekend, I believe that that is more than an ordinary hope.
The hon. Gentleman asked about the status of the monitors already in Kosovo, who are doing an outstanding job in extremely difficult circumstances. Clearly, he knows that I cannot and should not embark on speculation about their future. He mentions the British commander of the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps--otherwise known as the ARRC--General Sir Mike Jackson, who is outstanding and who, in the circumstances of a deployment, will be in command of the ARRC headquarters and whatever troops we put in place, should that prove the right thing to do.
I cannot answer questions on rules of engagement, for reasons that the hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well. However, on the subject of existing commitments, I can say that, if we were to go ahead with such a deployment, it would clearly have an impact on our forces. Some 27 per cent. of the British Army is currently on operations--an historically high figure. That is extremely demanding of the individuals affected by it, and that applies to the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force as well. However, we must do what we have to do if we are to ensure that our continent is safe and that there are no further atrocities of the sort that we witnessed a few weeks ago. That is why we are putting these precautions in place.
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