Written question asked by Cheryl Gillan (Conservative) on Tuesday, 9 January 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 January 2001. It was answered by Geoffrey Hoon (Labour) on Monday, 15 January 2001 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement regarding the presence, and length of stay, of British troops in Sierra Leone.

Answer: Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement regarding the presence, and length of stay, of British troops in Sierra Leone. [145269] Mr. Hoon: British troops are in Sierra Leone to assist the democratically elected Government to establish effective and accountable armed forces. Our intention is to achieve this through a three-year programme by the UK-led International Military Advisory and Training Team (IMATT). This remains our ultimate aim, but the IMATT's work assumes a stable and permissive environment. Following the rebel attacks on UN peacekeepers in May 2000, this clearly was not the case. We have therefore deployed a series of Short Term Training Teams to supplement the IMATT. The future requirement for training, and the way ahead for the IMATT is kept under review.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 361 c45W; 145269
Session: 2000-01
Subjects: Armed forces Deployment Peacekeeping operations Sierra Leone Military aid
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk