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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs until when the UN Mission and the British military and police training teams are scheduled to remain in Sierra Leone; and if he will make a statement. [72180] Mr. MacShane: The end of the conflict in Sierra Leone does not mean that sustainable peace has been achieved. Consolidating the peace will require the continued engagement of the international community for the foreseeable future. It is right therefore that the UN Secretary-General re-examine the role and composition of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). As a member of the UN Security Council and a key player in the Sierra Leone peace process, we are taking part in the discussion of UNAMSIL's future. We support the Secretary-General's intention to consider a phased drawdown according to timings yet to be agreed, taking into account the vital role UNAMSIL continues to play in maintaining peace in Sierra Leone. In December 2001, we announced our intention to re-configure our military presence in Sierra Leone. From the end of July, we will focus our military engagement there on a contribution of about 100 troops leading the International Military Advisory Training Team, which over the next three years, and possible thereafter, will be responsible for taking forward training for the new Sierra Leone army. A police project was designed for implementation over a period of three to five years, commencing December 2000. A review of the project has recently been completed, seeking to ensure that the police are able to fulfil their responsibilities for providing internal security by the time that UN troops withdraw.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

389 c1311-2W;389 c1309-10W; 72180

Session

2001-02

Subjects

Armed forces Deployment Police Peacekeeping operations Sierra Leone

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk