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Zaire
2. Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Zaire to alleviate the current situation in Zaire; and if he will make a statement. [4586]
3. Mr. Turner:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent developments in Zaire. [4587]
Mr. Rifkind:
I met Prime Minister Kengo of Zaire on 22 October and our ambassador to Zaire is in regular contact with the Government there. We welcome the return of many refugees from Zaire to Rwanda and will continue to work closely with all Governments in the region, the United Nations and other interested parties in seeking lasting solutions to the problems of the region.
Mr. Llwyd:
I thank the Foreign Secretary for that reply. I am sure that he will be aware that there is still a desperate humanitarian problem in many parts of Zaire and a pressing need for a political settlement in the great lakes region. What measures does he believe that the international community can take to ensure that humanitarian organisations, which do an excellent job in extremely difficult circumstances, are assisted in targeting the aid to reach the most needy?
Mr. Rifkind:
I agree with the hon. Gentleman that the objective must be to assist in a humanitarian way those who face the possibility of starvation or great suffering in Zaire. On 20 November the United Kingdom announced further aid of about £10 million. Indeed, after the United States we have made the largest response in terms of aid to people in Zaire.
I believe that we also need much more effective co-ordination in the international community. Much of the problem is in the innermost parts of Zaire, and we simply do not have the information as to its scale. A Royal Air Force Canberra aircraft is carrying out reconnaissance work which we hope will provide some of that necessary information.
Mr. Turner:
I, too, welcome the Foreign Secretary's statement, but may I press him a little on the subject of the refugees returning to Rwanda? What do the Government propose to do, especially about adequate housing? Hundreds of thousands are returning from eastern Zaire and a catastrophe is taking place. I should like to think that our Government were doing something positive about providing housing.
Mr. Rifkind:
As the hon. Gentleman said, approximately 400,000 to 500,000 Rwandan refugees
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Sir Sydney Chapman:
Can my right hon. and learned Friend give the House any more up-to-date information about the situation in the area south of Lake Kivu? On the very welcome announcement--albeit only a week ago--of an additional £10 million for humanitarian aid, can he tell the House when that aid equivalent will be distributed, if part of it has not already been distributed, and will he bear in mind the urgency of getting it to the recipients as soon as possible?
Mr. Rifkind:
Yes. I should emphasise that the £10 million is in addition to the large sums of aid previously given. Since 1993, both directly and through its contributions to the European Union, the United Kingdom has given about £140 million for humanitarian aid in the great lakes region.
On the situation in south Kivu, one of our military personnel visited Bukavu and we understand that the town is relatively quiet. There is no concentration of refugees there, but there are thought to be substantial numbers of people of Rwandan origin further inland. What is not known is either their physical condition or whether they want to return to Rwandan or prefer, for their own reasons, to remain in Zaire. We hope gradually to piece together such information as it becomes available through reconnaissance and other means.
Mr. Riddick:
With the recent apparent easing of the refugee crisis, would it be sensible to send troops in? Should we not be careful before committing troops in a complicated civil war from which it might be difficult to extricate them?
Mr. Rifkind:
My hon. Friend raises important points. There is no obvious military rationale for an international military force either in Rwanda or in Goma, from where the refugees have largely departed. More uncertain is south Kivu and inland Zaire, where there is an absence of the sort of information that one would require to know what the mandate and purpose of a military force might be. We are very proactive in this respect.
As I have said, a Royal Air Force Canberra aircraft is providing invaluable information. We are co-ordinating closely with other countries. There is discussion on whether there is a continuing need for a multinational force. While we do not rule it out, the case for it has been transformed by developments in the Goma area in the past 10 days. It is difficult at present to identify the purpose of such a force, but we cannot rule out the situation changing again, as it has done in recent times.
Mr. Ernie Ross:
As the Foreign Secretary knows, in September 1994 the World Service started broadcasting to the region in Kinyarwanda and Kirundi, giving messages of instruction to the refugees and linking
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Mr. Rifkind:
I welcome the hon. Gentleman's comments, including his final sentence. The BBC World Service was good enough to issue a statement yesterday congratulating the Government, and the Foreign Office in particular, on their support for the service, and confirming that the allocation to be provided meets its requirements.
Miss Emma Nicholson:
The Foreign Secretary has rightly said several times that the free flow of accurate, unbiased information has been instrumental in guiding humanitarian aid to the right places and in ensuring that returning refugees knew that it was safe to go home and that they would be assisted in settling back in their villages. How, therefore, can he continue to support Britain's withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, which is playing such a crucial role?
Mr. Rifkind:
I am not sure that I agree with the hon. Lady about the crucial role that she says UNESCO is playing. I do not want to enter the wider discussion about UNESCO, but the information that I have given the House demonstrates that our non-membership of UNESCO is in no way inhibiting, preventing or limiting our ability to assist in the humanitarian crisis. The United Kingdom is providing more help than most and can hold its head up high; it does not need membership of UNESCO in order to provide help for the starving in Zaire.
Mr. Robin Cook:
The Foreign Secretary knows that many hon. Members are concerned that a British company has been implicated in the supply of arms to the Hutu militia, both at the time of the genocide in Rwanda and while they were terrorising the UN camps. Can he confirm today's reports that the Isle of Man was not instructed by the Home Office to make its law consistent with the UN embargo? Will he at least express regret at that omission and accept that it is especially embarrassing for Britain, which, as a member of the Security Council, might have been expected to be particularly vigilant in enforcing a UN embargo?
Mr. Rifkind:
On the allegations about a company registered in the Isle of Man, as the right hon. Gentleman knows, Customs and Excise is investigating whether there has been a breach of the law which might require a prosecution. In addition, as I have said--and as I am sure the right hon. Gentleman is well aware--one of our interdepartmental committees has been asked to look at the precise allegations that have been made. I expect a report in the next few weeks. The time to comment will be when we know the facts, as opposed to press speculation.
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4. Lady Olga Maitland:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on United Kingdom relations with Tunisia. [4588]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Jeremy Hanley):
We have excellent relations with Tunisia and we are looking forward to developing them further, particularly in the commercial sector.
Lady Olga Maitland:
What progress has been made in convening an investment conference next spring? Does my hon. Friend agree that, outside of tourism, there are tremendous opportunities for British business men in Tunisia? Bearing in mind that Tunisia is keen to broaden its base away from France, Britain as an English-speaking country is its bridge to a wider world. Tunisia is undergoing economic reform and there are opportunities for us to assist with privatisation and much broader infrastructure projects. British Gas is leading the way. Would it not be wonderful if our business men could now follow?
Mr. Hanley:
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. As part of the United Kingdom's contribution to the EU-Mediterranean dialogue, we are financing an in-depth study of Tunisia as a destination for inward investment and, as my hon. Friend says, organising an EU-Mediterranean investment conference in London next March. Plans are well in hand for that conference.
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