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Mr. Maude : We have been taking every suitable opportunity to discuss international aspects of Hong Kong's continued prosperity and stability with our Community partners both in multilateral fora such as the Madrid European Council and the Paris economic summit and in bilateral contacts.137. Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends meeting his Chinese counterpart to discuss Hong Kong.
Mr. Maude : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no plans at present to meet the Chinese Foreign Minister.
Cambodia
18. Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received from the public regarding his policy on Cambodia.
Mr. Waldegrave : We have received more than 10,400 representations this year regarding our policy on Cambodia.
45. Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the reasons for the Government's decision to abstain on the last vote on Cambodia at the United Nations.
66. Mr. Ronnie Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the reasons for the Government's decision to abstain on the last vote on Cambodia at the United Nations.
91. Mr. Haynes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the reasons for the Government's decision to abstain on the last vote on Cambodia at the United Nations.
126. Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will explain the reasons for the Government's decision to abstain on the last vote on Cambodia at the United Nations.
Mr. Sainsbury : As one of 79 co-sponsors of the Association of South -East Asian Nations (ASEAN) resolution on Cambodia, Britain voted in favour of the resolution at the United Nations General Assembly on 16 November. Our vote underlined our wish to see a comprehensive political solution of the conflict in Cambodia.
74. Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government propose to take to provide assistance to the people of Cambodia.
Mr. Sainsbury : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Mr. Lester) on 8 November. My right hon. Friend has since held a meeting with representatives of leading British non-Government organisations working in Cambodia to discuss the possibility of further Government co-sponsoring of humanitarian projects inside Cambodia.
89. Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice he will give to British subjects working in Cambodia ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice he will offer to British subjects working in Cambodia in the light of the military situation there ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : British subjects should be aware that the situation in Cambodia remains unsettled and that fighting is taking place in some parts of the country. There is no local British consular or diplomatic representation and therefore no assistance available. Local medical facilities are very limited. We strongly recommend that British subjects avoid travelling outside the main cities, especially after dark, and in particular that they keep away from the provinces bordering Thailand and other areas where fighting is reported.
93. Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met the British representative at the United Nations to discuss Cambodia.
Mr. Sainsbury : My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met our permanent representative to the United Nations during his visit to the General Assembly from 24-29 September. Cambodia was among the topics discussed.
103. Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Government policy on the representation of Cambodia at the United Nations.
Mr. Sainsbury : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) on 16 November at column 497.
107. Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards Cambodia, with specific reference to the position of the Khmer Rouge.
Mr. Sainsbury : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Mr. Lester) on 8 November at column 645.
117. Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit Cambodia.
Mr. Sainsbury : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has at present no plans to visit Cambodia.
124. Mr. John P. Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Her Majesty's mission to the United Nations on the subject of Cambodia ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : The United Kingdom mission to the United Nations in New York regularly provides reports to the Department and receives instructions from it.
127. Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to visit Cambodia ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has at present no plans to visit Cambodia.
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129. Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit Cambodia.
Mr. Sainsbury : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has at present no plans to visit Cambodia.
Miss Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards Cambodia and towards support for the inclusion of representatives from the Khmer Rouge in any negotiated settlement for a future Cambodian Government.
Mr. Sainsbury : I have nothing to add to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Mr. Lester) on 8 November.
El Salvador
20. Mr. Flannery : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice he will now offer to British subjects working in El Salvador ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : The British charge d'affaires is advising those members of the British community with no urgent need to remain in the country to leave while normal commercial flights are available. The advice to those remaining is to stay at home.
27. Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the murder of the six Jesuit priests in San Salvador on 17 November ; and if he will make a statement.
29. Mr. Heffer : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the murder of the six Jesuit priests in San Salvador on 17 November ; and if he will make a statement.
87. Mr. Michael J. Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the murder of the six Jesuit priests in San Salvador on 17 November ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : Our information is that Father Ignacio Ellacuria, Rector of the Catholic university in El Salvador, five of his colleagues, their cook and her daughter were murdered in the early hours of 16 November by assassins armed with automatic weapons. Some were reported to be in uniform. We utterly condemn this cowardly and appalling murder, and urge that those responsible be identified and brought to justice without delay.
30. Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Government are taking to promote a cease-fire in El Salvador.
Mr. Sainsbury : We have called on the FMLN to end their offensive and have urged both sides to return to the negotiating table.
37. Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last
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discussed the situation in El Salvador with representatives of the United States Government ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Sainsbury : We have regular discussions with the United States Administration on a wide range of subjects, including El Salvador.
38. Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of El Salvador about the safety of British subjects there ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : Her Majesty's charge d'affaires in San Salvador has repeatedly reminded the authorities of their responsibility for their protection and given clear advice to United Kingdom citizens in El Salvador. He has received the fullest co-operation in carrying out his consular duties during the present emergency.
Mr. Terry Fields : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, he will cut British financial and diplomatic links with the Government of El Salvador, in the light of Government violence against citizens.
Mr. Sainsbury : We have no plans to break relations with the Government of El Salvador. The current escalation of violence there results from the offensive launched by the FMLN guerrillas on 11 November. We call on them to return to the negotiating table.
51. Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of the United States of America concerning the worsening human rights situation in El Salvador.
Mr. Sainsbury : We have regular discussions with the US Administration on a wide range of subjects, including El Salvador.
East Germany
21. Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his discussions with the West German Foreign Minister on East Germany's relationship with the European Community.
Mr. Waldegrave : On 15 November Herr Genscher and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussed the dramatic changes taking place in eastern Europe, including the GDR, and the Community's response to them. They agreed on the importance of real political and economic reform in the GDR. My right hon. Friend will resume his discussions with Herr Genscher this evening.
112. Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to visit East Germany.
Mr. Maude : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no present plans to do so.
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Poland
22. Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met a member of the Polish Government ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Waldegrave : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not yet had an opportunity to meet any members of the new Polish Government. He will have talks on 30 November with Mr. Lech Walesa, chairman of Solidarity. I met Mr. Regulski, Minister of Local Government on 21 November.
50. Mr. Jessel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on current United Kingdom relations with Poland.
Mr. Waldegrave : I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council on 24 October.
Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress Her Majesty's Government are making in setting up a know-how fund for Poland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waldegrave : We established a know-how fund for Poland after General Jaruzelski's visit to Britain in June. This will contribute £25 million over the next five years towards projects which will underpin Polish democracy and help economic reform. A considerable number of projects are already under way, notably in the field of management training.
Middle East
24. Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote a middle east peace settlement.
59. Mr. Cyril D. Townsend : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
67. Mr. Wood : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards peace in the middle east.
78. Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement of progress towards peace in the middle east.
105. Mr. Page : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the peace process in the Palestinian-Israeli dispute.
118. Sir Dennis Walters : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards a middle east peace settlement.
133. Mr. Robert Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he intends submitting any fresh proposals to try and resolve the middle east problem ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Waldegrave : We fully support current efforts to bring about a dialogue between the Israeli Government and a representative team of Palestinians.
70. Mr. Faulds : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his European counterparts about ways of assisting the middle east peace process ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waldegrave : We discuss the middle east regularly with our European colleagues, and did so most recently on 27 November. We shall continue to support the current efforts to develop a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians.
72. Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what latest representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Government of Israel about the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Mr. Waldegrave : Issues that we and our EC partners have taken up recently with the Israeli authorities include the closure of universities, Israeli tax-collecting raids at Beit Sahour, harassment of UNRWA's operations and a number of individual cases.
77. Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens are at present held in middle eastern gaols ; and if he will list in which countries they are being held and the length of their sentences.
Mr. Sainsbury : According to our latest information, 24 British citizens were in detention in the middle east on 23 November 1989. The countries in which they are held and the length of their sentences are as follows :
Number of British citizens in detention in the Middle East
on 23 November 1989
Country Number Sentence
|of detainees
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Egypt |2 |{ |(i) 25 years
|(ii) |{
Iraq |2 |{
|{ |(ii)
Iran |2 |(i)detained without charge
|{ |(ii)
Israel |3 |{ |(i) 10 years
|{
|{ |(iii)18 months
Kuwait |3 |(i) 6 years 4 months
|{ |(ii)3 years 6 months
|{ |(iii)
Saudi Arabia |4 |{ |(i) 1 year
|{ |(ii) 2 years
|{ |(iii) detained on remand
|{ |(iv) 1 year
Turkey |1 |(i)
United Arab Emirates 7 {
|{ |(ii) 20 years
|{ |(iii) 7 years
|{ |(iv) 10 years
|{ |(v) until debts are paid
|{ |(vi) 15 years
|{ |(vii) detained on remand
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Cyprus
25. Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current position on the Cyprus talks.
Mr. Maude : The intercommunal talks remain stalled. When my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met the United Nations
Secretary-General on 8 November, he told her that he would be meeting the leaders of the two communities at the end of this month to discuss ways in which the talks can be resumed. She assured Mr. Perez de Cuellar of our continued full support.
36. Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to make an official visit to Cyprus ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maude : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no present plans to visit Cyprus.
Israeli Occupied Territories
26. Mr. Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will monitor the elections within the Israeli occupied territories.
Mr. Waldegrave : We support the early convening of
Israeli/Palestinian talks in Cairo to discuss the modalities of the proposed elections in the occupied territories, including possible international supervision, and shall be ready to play our part in helping to implement the arrangements agreed.
Miss Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government to the Israeli Government concerning the enforced closure of schools in the West Bank.
Mr. Waldegrave : We do not accept that the closure of schools and universities in the occupied territories is justified. We have called regularly on the Israeli authorities, most recently in the EC statement on 6 October, to allow them to function normally.
Turkey
28. Mr. Litherland : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to meet the Turkish Foreign Minister in the near future.
Mr. Maude : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will meet Mr. Yilmaz, when they are both at the North Atlantic Council meeting on 14 to 15 December.
Eastern Europe
31. Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is being given to Poland and Hungary in their efforts to establish liberal democracy.
40. Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress Her Majesty's Government are making in setting up a know-how fund for Poland ; and if he will make a statement.
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53. Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress Her Majesty's Government are making in setting up a know-how fund for Poland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kirkhope : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what training in the technical processes of democracy Britain is offering to countries in eastern Europe ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waldegrave : We established a know-how fundfor Poland after General Jaruzelski's visit to Britain in June. This will contribute £25 million over the next five years towards projects which will underpin Polish democracy and help economic reform. I am glad to be able to announce that it will now be doubled in size to £50 million. Moreover, we shall be making a contribution of $100 million to a stabilisation fund set up in support of the
agreement being discussed between the IMF and the Polish Government. Finally, we shall be spending £15 million on a major project to improve the Polish food supply situation.
A know-how fund will provide British expertise for Hungary, amounting to £25 million over five years and will operate from next year.
39. Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress the European Community Commission has made in carrying out its co-ordination of aid measures to Poland and Hungary following the Paris summit.
Mr. Maude : The European Commission is co-ordinating aid measures to Hungary and Poland effectively, and have within the Community made numerous proposals which have led to the comprehensive series of measures approved by the Council. Three co-ordination meetings of the 24 countries providing aid to Poland and Hungary have been held since the Paris summit, as well as expert working groups dealing with food aid, investment, environmental protection and vocational training. The international financial institutions and the OECD have been associated with this work. There will be a substantive review of progress at a ministerial meeting of the 24 countries in Brussels on 13 December.
86. Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is planning any changes in Britain's relations with eastern Europe in the light of the breaching of the Berlin wall.
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