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Mr. Douglas Hogg : Serbia has an extensive arms manufacturing capability. Most weapons held by Serb forces are produced domestically, although it is possible that they may have procured guns from other countries since July 1992.
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We have no information that Serb forces have usedforeign-manufactured weapons either against British service men or Bosnian civilians.
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) financial help and (b) technical and professional help his Department is contributing to the United Nations Human Rights Commission investigation into alleged war crimes in former Yugoslavia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Kingdom provides financial assistance to the United Nations commission of experts through its contributions to the United Nations regular budget. We have also submitted to the commission three batches of substantiated evidence on war crimes, including a requested report on rape, collated by the Ministry of Defence's defence debriefing team.
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department passed on to the United Nations Human Rights Commission all the testimonies of witnesses to and victims of alleged war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Ministry of Defence's debriefing team has inteviewed over 4,000 entrants to the United Kingdom from the former Yugoslavia since the conflict began. This material has been collated and substantiated evidence submitted to the commission of experts in three separate batches. We will continue to submit such evidence as it becomes available.
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his Department is co-operating with the UN Human Rights Commission investigation into alleged war crimes in former Yugoslavia ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Kingdom co-sponsored Security Council resolution 780 of 6 October 1992 which established the UN commission of experts. Since its establishment we have submitted to the commission three batches of substantiated evidence, including a requested report on rape. Later this year we will submit further evidence following a request from the commission for information on specific regions.
Arms Exports
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Israel.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 1 December 1993, Official Report, column 534.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Iran.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We apply the following criteria in considering applications for the export of licensable goods to Iran :
(i) With two exceptions we should not approve licences for any goods or technology on the military or atomic energy lists--schedule 1, part 3, group 1 and 2--of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1992, as amended. The exceptions are :
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(a) goods essential for the safety of civil aircraft and air traffic control systems ;(b) radioactive material in the form of sources for medical equipment and deuterium labelled compounds for medical use. (
(ii) We should not approve licences for any equipment--including the exceptions to the complete ban mentioned above--where there was knowledge or reason to suspect that it would go to a military end-user or be used for military purposes.
Existing export licenses, approved under the old guidelines, will remain valid. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade announced in his written reply to the hon. Member for Croydon, Central (Sir P. Beresford) on 18 January 1994, Official Report, column 509, an exception has been made in one case to date. We shall support efforts among supplier countries, in particular the G7 and our European partners, to promote a harmonised approach to effective controls on the export of dual use goods to countries of particular concern.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Syria.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We do not sell arms to Syria.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Kuwait.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We consider applications for the export of arms to Kuwait on a case by case basis. We refuse applications for exports which in our view would not be consistent with our established criteria, including the common criteria for arms transfers agreed with European Union partners at Luxembourg in 1991 and at Lisbon in 1992, the guidelines agreed by the Permanent Five in London in 1991 and the principles governing conventional arms transfers adopted by the forum for security co-operation of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe in November 1993.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We consider applications for the export of arms to Saudi Arabia on a case-by-case basis. We refuse applications for exports which in our view would not be consistent with our established criteria, including the common criteria for arms transfers agreed with European Union partners at Luxembourg in 1991 and at Lisbon in 1992, the guidelines agreed by the permanent five in London in 1991 and the principles governing conventional arms transfers adopted by the forum for security co-operation of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe in November 1993.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Jordan.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We consider applications for the export of arms to Jordan on a case by case basis. We refuse applications for exports which in our view would not be consistent with our established criteria, including the common criteria for arms transfers agreed with European Union partners at Luxembourg in 1991 and at Lisbon in 1992, the guidelines agreed by the permanent five in
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London in 1991 and the principles governing conventional arms transfers adopted by the forum for security co-operation of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe in November 1993.Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Egypt.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We consider applications for the export of arms to Egypt on a case by case basis. We refuse applications for exports which in our view would not be consistent with our established criteria, including the common criteria for arms transfers agreed with European Union partners at Luxembourg in 1991 and at Lisbon in 1992, the guidelines agreed by the Permanent five in London in 1991 and the principles governing conventional arms transfers adopted by the forum for security co-operation of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe in November 1993.
Iran
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government will take to persuade the Government of Iran to investigate the disappearance of the General Secretary of the Iranian Assemblies of God, the Reverend Haik Hovsepian Mehr.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We are concerned at Reverend Hovsepian's disappearance. According to the local press, the Iranian authorities are investigating. The EU presidency are seeking clarification in Iran on behalf of European partners.
North Korea
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress in implementing the nuclear safeguards inspections at facilities in North Korea ; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the safeguards measures list drawn up by the International Atomic Energy Agency for North Korea, pursuant to a decision of the United Nations Security Council.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : North Korea is still refusing to agree to International Atomic Energy Agency inspection of the two undeclared sites which led to its referral to the United Nations Security Council last April. The IAEA is currently discussing with North Korea arrangements for the next routine inspections of its declared sites. Details of specific measures required to ensure compliance with safeguards are not released by the IAEA. However, a copy of North Korea's safeguards agreement with the IAEA--INFCIRC 403--to which such measures are pursuant, has been deposited in the Library of the House.
Bosnia
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Bosnia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs visited Bosnia on 21 and 22 January to see at first hand the contribution British troops and civilian aid workers are making to the international aid effort. He was enormously
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impressed by their professionalism and dedication. His visit will inform our consideration, with fellow troop contributors and other allies, of the future of UNPROFOR.Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the second preparatory committee meeting for the review and renewal conference of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty held in New York from 17 January ; and if he will place in the Library copies of those documents circulated at the preparatory committee meeting making reference to the United Kingdom policy on the non-proliferation treaty.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The second meeting of the preparatory committee for the 1995 non-proliferation treaty extension and review conference was largely concerned with organisational issues and the committee made good progress towards its task of preparing for the conference. The leader of the United Kingdom delegation also delivered a short statement in which he reaffirmed our commitment to our treaty obligations and our aim of securing the treaty's unconditional and indefinite extension in 1995. A copy of this statement has been deposited in the Library of the House.
Defence Sales
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was (a) the gross national product of, (b) the amount of United Kingdom Government aid to and (c) the aggregate value of United Kingdom defence sales to (i) Jordan, (ii) Pakistan and (iii) India in each year since 1979.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The latest available gross national product and United Kingdom bilateral aid figures for Jordan, Pakistan and India are set out in the table. It is not Government policy to publish defence sales figures of the nature requested, which are commercially confidential between the suppliers and the customer Government. I refer the hon. Gentleman to table 1.11 of "UK Defence Statistics 1993" for defence sales information. A copy of this is available in the House of Commons Library.
Jordan
Year |GNP Dinars |United
|million |Kingdom
|gross
|bilateral aid
|(£'000s)
--------------------------------------------------------
1979 |924.9 |13,618
1980 |1,183.6 |4,682
1981 |1,484.2 |7,086
1982 |1,702.5 |3,308
1983 |1,815.0 |2,747
1984 |1,905.0 |6,105
1985 |1,935.8 |2,332
1986 |2,097.3 |5,641
1987 |2,112.5 |4,809
1988 |2,129.9 |4,495
1989 |2,206.4 |2,822
1990 |2,375.9 |5,105
1991 |2,559.1 |10,925
1992 |3,158.6 |3,122
1993 |- |14,717
Notes:
(1) GNP: years ending 31 December.
(2) Aid: years ending 31 December up to and including
1987;
thereafter years ending 31 March.
(3) Source for GNP figures:
Pakistan
Year |GNP PRs |United
|billion |Kingdom
|gross
|bilateral aid
|(£'000s)
--------------------------------------------------------
1979 |209.45 |21,810
1980 |252.46 |22,245
1981 |300.89 |24,613
1982 |349.51 |18,738
1983 |403.78 |16,612
1984 |459.40 |18,016
1985 |510.47 |16,569
1986 |555.89 |20,715
1987 |608.86 |22,475
1988 |704.48 |22,599
1989 |797.75 |28,183
1990 |894.71 |30,478
1991 |1,053.09 |43,476
1992 |1,225.39 |37,239
1993 |- |34,483
Notes:
(1) GNP: Years ending 30 June.
(2) Aid: years ending 31 December up to and including
1987;
thereafter years ending 31 March.
(3) Source for GNP figures:
IMF International Financial Statistics, January 1984.
India
Year |GNP IRs |United
|billion |Kingdom
|gross
|bilateral aid
|(£'000s)
--------------------------------------------------------
1979 |1,145.1 |153,314
1980 |1,363.6 |86,080
1981 |1,598.0 |168,550
1982 |1,775.0 |54,204
1983 |2,066.5 |127,600
1984 |2,299.2 |146,537
1985 |2,608.1 |106,466
1986 |2,911.4 |143,481
1987 |3,305.8 |78,464
1988 |3,921.0 |99,097
1989 |4,482.6 |84,647
1990 |5,240.3 |87,652
1991 |6,026.7 |100,815
1992 |- |136,386
1993 |- |115,370
Notes:
(1) GNP: Years beginning 1 April.
(2) Aid: Years ending 31 December up to and including
1987;
thereafter years ending 31 March.
(3) Source for GNP figures: IMF international financial
statistics,
January 1994.
Mercenaries
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he first became aware that the Azeri Government were hiring British mercenaries ; and what steps he took.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I first became aware of the allegations published in The Independent on 24 January. We have as yet no evidence to support these allegations, but my officials are looking into them. It would be a serious matter if a British company were found to be breaking the conference on security and co-operation in Europe arms embargo against parties to the conflict in
Nagorno-Karabakh.
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