Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Anderson of Swansea (Labour). It was answered on Thursday, 20 July 2006.

Middle East

Question: My Lords, will my noble friend give a progress report on the government help to British passport holders leaving Lebanon? Can she also say what specific promise the Prime Minister has given on British troops in the proposed buffer zone? What are the necessary preconditions before we send a component?

Answer: My Lords, on the British citizens in the Lebanon, I am pleased to say that the reason why my noble friend Lord Triesman is not at the Dispatch Box today is that he in Cyprus monitoring what is being done there. We have six ships there, which are taking people out of Lebanon. We have 100 extra staff from the Foreign Office working in the region to ensure that people can be got out as quickly as possible. We are not charging people as they come out of the region, unlike, I believe, the Americans and some other states; we are doing it all free of charge. We are working to ensure that people’s journeys are as uncomplicated as possible, that there are playgrounds for children and all that sort of thing. On troops and a new military or peacekeeping force in the Lebanon, we are not there yet. However, I note that my honourable friend Dr Howells said in the other place the other day that there will be no British troops in the Lebanon.

Secondary information