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Foreign Affairs and Defence

No, we are not. We are not going to hide behind the idea that the last troop must have come home. We have always made it clear that our commitment is in respect of combat troops, and we intend to honour that commitment. I am sure that all Members will share our concern about the situation in the eastern Congo. In November, the United Kingdom co-sponsored a United Nations Security Council resolution to reinforce the UN mission, MONUC, with an additional 3,000 troops. Those troops are desperately needed to try to maintain the ceasefire and allow aid agencies to address the humanitarian situation, and we will aim for rapid deployment. I am certain that the best way in which the international community can help to provide security in the east is through an enlarged UN force. However, on Monday the General Affairs and External Relations Council asked Javier Solana rapidly to prepare options for EU assistance in the eastern DRC, including the option of European military contributions to MONUC, at the request of the Secretary-General of the UN, Ban-ki Moon.