Written question asked by Martin Caton (Labour) on Thursday, 20 March 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 31 March 2003. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Monday, 31 March 2003 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he will take to ensure that in the Iraqi conflict, the 4th Geneva Convention of 1949 requiring that any force that occupies all or part of a terrority has to ensure the provision of food, medical supplies and the maintenance of hygiene and public health is adhered to.

Answer: Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he will take to ensure that in the Iraqi conflict, the 4th Geneva Convention of 1949 requiring that any force that occupies all or part of a territory has to ensure the provision of food, medical supplies and the maintenance of hygiene and public health is adhered to. [104874] Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply. We take our responsibilities to the Iraqi people extremely seriously and British forces have played a vital role in the effort to liberate the port of Um Qasr, which will be a major point of entry for humanitarian aid into Iraq. Until the security situation in Iraq stabilises sufficiently to allow the full deployment of civilian aid agencies, United Kingdom forces will, where they are able, deliver emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq in full accordance with their obligations under the Geneva and Hague Conventions. The military has made extensive preparations for this, with the assistance of experts from the Department for International Development.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 104874; 402 c521W
Session: 2002-03
Subjects: Armed forces Armed conflict Development aid Humanitarian aid Geneva Conventions Iraq International humanitarian law Iraq conflict
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk