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19. Mr. Doran : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have been making to the Government of Chile concerning human rights in that country.
49. Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have been making to the Government of Chile concerning human rights in that country.
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Mr. Eggar : We have in the past few weeks made representations at a high level about a wide range of human rights issues in Chile. In addition, the Twelve have publicly affirmed their support for the work of the Catholic Church's human rights organisation, the Vicaria de la Solidaridad, and their appreciation for the important role played by the Vicaria since its creation.
21. Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about Iraq's ability to develop biological warfare agents ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waldegrave : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to him on 18 January at column 194.
22. Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the most recent draft of the Basic Law for Hong Kong.
34. Mr. Allen McKay : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of China concerning the drafting of the Basic Law for Hong Kong.
64. Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the most recent draft of the Basic Law for Hong Kong.
77. Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of China concerning the drafting of the Basic Law for Hong Kong.
86. Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the most recent draft of the Basic Law for Hong Kong.
Mr. Eggar : The second draft of the Basic Law will be published in the spring after consideration by the standing committee of the National People's Congress. We welcome the assurances of senior Chinese officials that the draft will be subject to further consultation in Hong Kong. We have had a fruitful dialogue with the Chinese authorities responsible for the drafting of the Basic Law and expect this to continue. We shall wish to satisfy ourselves that the provisions of the final text accurately reflect the terms of the joint declaration.
23. Mr. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Czechoslovakia about human rights.
Mr. Waldegrave : My right hon. and learned Friend raised these matters in his speech last month at the conclusion of the CSCE follow-up meeting in Vienna. In addition I raised human rights issues with the Czechoslovak ambassador on 31 January.
46. Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made about recent human rights violations in Czechoslovakia.
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Mr. Waldegrave : My right hon. and learned Friend raised Czechoslovakia's handling of human rights in my speech last month at the conclusion of the CSCE follow-up meeting in Vienna. I also expressed our concern to the Czechoslovak ambassador on 31 January.
51. Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implementation of international agreements on human rights in Czechoslovakia.
Mr. Waldegrave : There are many shortcomings in Czechoslovakia's implementation of its human rights commitments, especially in the field of freedom of speech and assembly.
54. Mr. Eastham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to have discussions with the Czech ambassador concerning human rights.
Mr. Waldegrave : My right hon. and learned Friend has no immediate plans for discussion with the Czechoslovak ambassador. I saw him on 31 January, and expressed our concern over their handling of human rights.
87. Mr. Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the Czech ambassador ; and what matters he will raise.
Mr. Waldegrave : My right hon. and learned Friend has no immediate plans to meet the Czechoslovak ambassador. I saw him on 31 January to thank him for his authorities' co-operation over Semtex. I also expressed our concern over their current handling of human rights.
24. Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to visit the United States of America.
Mr. Eggar : The American Secretary of State, Mr. Baker, will be visiting the United Kingdom on Sunday next. My right hon. and learned Friend plans to visit the United States shortly thereafter.
52. Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment Her Majesty's Government have made of the future of the special relationship with the United States of America.
Mr. Eggar : We look forward to a continuation of the excellent and close relations that have long existed between our two countries.
25. Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects President Gorbachev to visit Britain.
28. Mr. Burt : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any information on whether President Gorbachev intends to visit the United Kingdom.
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a new date has been arranged for the visit to Britain of President Gorbachev.
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Mr. Waldegrave : Mr. Gorbachev will visit the United Kingdom from 5 to 7 April.
26. Mr. Stott : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will protest to the South African authorities against the new legislation to restrict foreign funding of anti-apartheid organisations.
Mrs. Chalker : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for Swansea, East (Mr. Anderson) on 1 February at column 246.
33. Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent communications he has had with the South African Government.
Mrs. Chalker : We maintain regular contact with the South African authorities on a wide range of issues, both here and via Her Majesty's ambassador.
55. Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has to announce a new package of British measures against South Africa during the Prime Minister's visit to Zimbabwe in March.
Mr. John Carlisle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will report on progress in measures he is taking to encourage reform in South Africa.
Mrs. Chalker : We take every opportunity to encourage peaceful change in South Africa towards the replacement of apartheid by a non- racial, representative system of government.
29. Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will reconsider his decision to attend Emperor Hirohito's funeral.
Mr. Eggar : No. I set out the reasons for my right hon. and learned Friend's decision to attend the late Emperor of Japan's funeral in my written answer to the hon. Member on 16 January at column 12.
30. Mr. Summerson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met his fellow European Community Foreign Ministers within the framework of European political co-operation.
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next proposes to have discussions with his European Community partners concerning the development of common European foreign policies.
Mrs. Chalker : My right hon. and learned Friend last met EC colleagues in the framework of European political co-operation in Brussels on 21 November 1988. He will meet them again in Madrid on 14 February.
Political co-operation matters were also discussed at the European Council in Rhodes on 2 and 3 December 1988
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which the Secretary of State attended with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, and at meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 19 December 1988, which he and I attended, and on 23 January 1989, which I attended.31. Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of the Brazilian Government concerning the murder of Francisco Mendes.
Mr. Eggar : I was able to discuss with the Brazillian Government our concern at killings of rural organisers when I visited that country in November last year. The death of Francisco Mendes is being investigated by the Brazilian police and arrests have been made.
32. Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonweath Affairs if he has any plans to discuss the construction of the Libyan chemical factory at Rablin with the other members of the Western European Union.
Mr. Waldegrave : The issue was discussed at official level in the WEU permanent council on 11 January. The agenda has not yet been set for the next WEU ministerial council meeting, which will take place in April.
39. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement regarding relations with Libya.
Mr. Waldegrave : There can be no question of returning to normal relations with the Libyan Government as long as they maintain their support for international terrorism including the IRA.
75. Mr. Fishburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further evidence Her Majesty's Government have of an intention by Libya to develop a chemical weapons capability.
Mr. Waldegrave : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary on 13 January at column 773 to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington, South (Mr. Butler). We have no doubt that the Rabta plant is intended to produce CW in large quantities and that it could become operational in the near future.
37. Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy as to the use of private security firms by his Department.
Mr. Waldegrave : Where appropriate, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our posts overseas employ private security firms to protect buildings and personnel.
38. Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received regarding the United Kingdom's participation in the proposed human rights conference in Moscow in 1991.
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Mr. Waldegrave : We have received a number of representations from members of the public and hon. Members, both for and against our participation in the proposed Moscow conference in 1991. We have made clear that we are prepared to attend the Moscow conference only if our conditions about further progress in Soviet implementation of human rights commitments are met.
41. Mr. Soames : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met his West German counterpart ; and what was discussed.
Mrs. Chalker : My right hon. and learned Friend last met Herr Genscher on 27 January in Bonn and discussed a range of issues including East-West relations, Eastern Europe, arms control and the middle east.
43. Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the timetable for the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola.
Mrs. Chalker : We welcome the recent agreement between Angola and Cuba which provides for total Cuban troop withdrawal from Angola within 27 months from 1 April 1989.
59. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that all foreign troops are withdrawn from Angola ; and what action he is prepared to take to seek to bring the Angolan MPLA Government and Unita to the negotiating table.
Mrs. Chalker : We are giving our full support to the implementation of the agreement signed in New York on 22 December 1988 which provides for total Cuban troop withdrawal from Angola.
We would welcome any move to establish internal peace in Angola which had the support of both sides. We continue to be in touch with African leaders in the region who are best placed to mediate.
44. Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Namibia.
79. Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Namibia.
Mrs. Chalker : We look forward to implementation of the United Nations plan for the independence of Namibia, which is due to begin on 1 April. The plan provides for free and fair elections in which Namibians will decide their own future.
70. Sir Russell Johnston : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implementation of the quatrapartite agreement on South African withdrawal from Namibia.
Mrs. Chalker : Implementation of the United Nations plan for the independence of Namibia is due to begin on 1 April.
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91. Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to send observers to oversee the elections in Namibia.
Mrs. Chalker : Implementation of the United Nations plan for Namibian independence is a matter for the United Nations Secretary General. We have agreed to provide the signals unit for UNTAG and would consider sympathetically any requests for us to send observers.
45. Mr. Carrington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to attend an Anglo-French summit meeting.
Mrs. Chalker : Plans for the next Anglo-French summit are under consideration and an announcement will be made soon.
50. Mr. Litherland : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make further representations to the South African authorities over the continuing imprisonment of Nelson Mandela and his colleagues sentenced at the Rivonia trial.
Mrs. Chalker : We continue to urge the South African Government to release, immediately and unconditionally, Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners.
53. Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will report on the outcome of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe in Vienna.
Mr. Waldegrave : The Vienna meeting ended on 19 January with the adoption of substantial new measures in the field of human rights as well as co-operation in other fields. It also opened the way for new negotiations on arms control and confidence and security building measures.
56. Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Gibraltar.
Mrs. Chalker : My right hon. and learned Friend visited Gibraltar on 30 and 31 January 1989. He has no plans to do so again in the immediate future.
57. Mr. Leigh : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Anglo-Soviet relations.
Mr. Waldegrave : Anglo-Soviet relations are much improved. Mr. Gorbachev will be visiting Britain from 5 to 7 April. Fundamental differences between us remain. But we now have an increasingly wide-ranging dialogue and an expanding programme of co-operation and exchanges with the Russians.
68. Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest information he has received concerning the state of human rights in the Soviet Union.
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Mr. Waldegrave : There has been progress on human rights in the Soviet Union over the past few months. But much remains to be done. We pressed the Russians for more progress most recently at the UK/USSR bilateral talks on human rights on 26 January.
97. Mr. Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will report on the bilateral human rights talks held in London recently with the Soviets.
Mr. Waldegrave : These talks were useful and wide ranging. The Soviet delegation explained their plans for fundamental legislative reform : we underlined the importance of providing full guarantees that basic human freedoms will be respected. We also pressed the Russians on a number of individual cases of particular concern. They agreed to re-examine our lists of refuseniks and prisoners of conscience.
61. Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government are making to their European partners on the need for greater burden sharing within the Atlantic Alliance.
Mr. Waldegrave : We play an active part in discussion of burden- sharing within the Alliance. For example, we contributed fully to the work on the report on enhancing collective security agreed by Defence Ministers last December.
62. Mr. Henderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will visit El Salvador before March to discuss the conduct of its elections.
67. Mr. Boyes To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will visit El Salvador before March to discuss the conduct of its elections.
Mr. Eggar : There are no present plans for a ministerial visit to El Salvador.
66. Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met representatives of the Mozambique Government ; and what matters he discussed.
Mrs. Chalker : My right hon. and learned Friend last met President Chissano and members of his Government during his visit to Mozambique from 17 to 19 September last year. They discussed a range of bilateral and international issues.
73. Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new representations he plans to make to the Government of Romania about systemisation and other infringements of human rights.
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Mr. Waldegrave We will continue to protest strongly about Romanian policies which run counter to their CSCE commitments in the field of human rights at every suitable opportunity. I summoned the ambassador of Romania on 30 January to protest about the treatment both of Her Majesty's ambassador in Romania and of the Romanian citizen, Mrs. Doina Cornea.74. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to meet other Foreign Ministers to discuss Third world debt ; and if he will make a statement.
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