Written question asked by Tam Dalyell (Labour) on Thursday, 18 March 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 23 March 1999. It was answered by Lord Robertson of Port Ellen (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 March 1999 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 18th March on Iraq, 327 c810W, what evidence he has received of Saddam Hussein attempting to use his air force in 1999 for repressing his own people; and to which people he is referring.

Answer: Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer on Iraq of 18 March 1999, Official Report, column 810, what evidence he has received of Saddam Hussein attempting to use his air force in 1999 for repressing his own people; and to which people he is referring. [78367] Mr. George Robertson: The no-fly-zones were established in April 1991 (north) and August 1992 (south) in support of UN Security Council Resolution 688 which condemned Saddam Hussein's brutal repression of his own people. This repression involved extensive use of helicopter gun ships against the Kurdish minority in the north as well as both fixed wing aircraft and helicopter gun ships against Sh'ia muslims in the south. Since the end of December 1998, over 170 Iraqi aircraft have violated the no-fly zones. Coalition patrols have successfully prevented any of these aircraft from attacking the Kurdish minority in the northern no-fly-zone or the Sh'ia muslims in the southern no-fly zone. However, given the extensive history of brutality by Saddam's regime, there is no reason to believe that he would not resume these tactics were we to cease patrols.

Secondary information