asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on current events in the Lebanon, in so far as they relate to the policies of Her Majesty's Government.

We deplore recent appalling acts of violence and lawlessness in Lebanon. We continue to believe that an improvement in security can only be achieved by agreement between the Lebanese themselves. Our primary concern is for the suffering of the civilian population. This month we donated a further £500,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross Lebanon appeal.