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India
Mr. Chris Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit India to discuss bilateral relations. [4609]
Dr. Liam Fox: My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary visited India from 28 to 30 August this year and held wide-ranging discussion with Prime Minister Deve Gowda, Mr. I. K. Gujral, the Indian Minister of External Affairs and others. I visited India on 21 to 26 October to follow up this visit. There are no immediate plans for my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary to visit again.
Arms Exports
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to increase international transparency in respect of conventional arms and their technologies and components. [5995]
Mr. David Davis [holding answer 26 November 1996]: We continue to play a full and active role in promoting greater transparency in respect of the transfer of conventional arms and their technologies and components. To this end, we continue to support the work
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and further development of the UN register of conventional arms, which was established in 1991 at the initiative of the Prime Minister. We shall also continue to submit full and timely returns, including information on military holdings and national procurement, to the register and expect to send a national representative to the UN group of governmental experts which is expected to meet in March 1997 to discuss its further development.
We also welcome the formal launch of the Wassenaar arrangement in July 1996. The United Kingdom participated actively in the negotiations to establish this arrangement, which aims to promote transparency and greater responsibility in the transfer of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies. We shall continue to work for the future success of the arrangement.
Mrs. Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to co-ordinate efforts with members of the EU, the Wassenaar arrangement and the UN Security Council to pursue and prosecute companies and individuals who traffic arms in contravention of internationally agreed embargoes. [6006]
Mr. Davis:
It is the responsibility of individual states to ensure that they implement fully all internationally agreed embargoes to which they are committed. The United Kingdom will continue to fulfil its obligations in this regard, in co-operation with other interested parties as appropriate.
An interdepartmental committee established on 19 November 1996 will examine rigorously procedures in relation to the trafficking of arms and determine whether there has been a gap in our controls and if so what action needs to be taken. It will report within one month, and Ministers will report its conclusions to the House.
Mrs. Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to ensure that there are effective sanctions and monitoring of controls on arms exports to countries violating human rights. [5878]
Mr. Davis:
All export licence applications for arms are considered on a case-by-case basis in the light of the established international criteria to which we are committed. These require us, inter alia, to take into account the respect of human rights in the country of final destination. We do not export equipment we consider likely to be used for internal repression.
Mrs. Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urge those countries that are the source of illegal arms shipments to strengthen and improve their export and customs controls. [6007]
Mr. Davis:
We fully support greater responsibility in the transfer of arms and military goods and regularly raise any concerns we might have with the countries concerned. It is the responsibility of the exporting country to introduce and enforce effective controls on the export of arms.
We also have regular exchanges with those countries which are making efforts to improve their export control and enforcement procedures.
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We are also active participants in the Wassenaar arrangement--aimed at promoting transparency and greater responsibility--in the transfer of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies as well as several supplier regimes--aimed at preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction--and urge other countries to show similar responsibility in their exports of defence equipment.
Mr. Alton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government (a) have taken and (b) propose to take to encourage the Government of the People's Republic of China to cease taking measures against churches that are not registered with the official religious organisations. [5722]
Mr. Hanley:
Restrictions on religious activity in China and persecution of those who practise outside the official church framework are causes for great concern. We and our EU partners continue to urge the Chinese authorities to regard freedom of worship as fulfilling a basic human need, not as a threat.
Mr. Alton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to urge the Government of the People's Republic of China to ensure the release of Bishop Zeng Jingmu, currently imprisoned in Jiangxi province, and to ensure that he receives adequate medical treatment. [5726]
Mr. Hanley:
We have not raised the specific case of Bishop Zeng Jingmu with the Chinese, but we and our EU partners continue to press the Chinese authorities to respect fundamental rights, such as religious freedom, and to respect international standards on the treatment of prisoners.
Mr. Alton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to encourage the Government of Egypt to repeal laws that require presidential permission for the building, repair and maintenance of churches. [5724]
Mr. Hanley:
While the laws in question can cause problems for Christians, our contacts with Christians in Egypt show that they would not welcome outside intervention on their behalf.
Mr. Alton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to urge the Government of Iran to allow independent human rights monitors to visit that country to investigate the deaths of the Rev. Mohammad Bagher Yusefi, the Rev. Haik Hovsepian Mehr, the Rev. Tateos Michaelian and the Rev. Mehdi Dibaj; and if he will make a statement. [5725]
Mr. Hanley:
We have protested about the deaths of the Rev. Haik Hovsepian Mehr, the Rev. Tateos Michaelin and the Rev. Mehdi Dibaj. Through the EU, we pressed
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for thorough and impartial investigations into their deaths and, as a result, a public trial was subsequently held in 1995. We were concerned about certain aspects of the trial, but a public trial in Iran was, none the less, a welcome development in itself. We were also deeply disturbed by the death of the Rev. Mohammad Bagher Yusefi and we have raised his case with our EU partners for further action. We fully support the involvement of UN special rapporteurs in Iran.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the United Nations draft declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples; what discussions his Department are currently involved in on this matter; and if he will make a statement. [5894]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor:
We attach importance to the early adoption by the United Nations of an effective declaration to help protect the rights of indigenous people worldwide. We participate in the UN's working group tasked with producing a declaration and are contributing to the drafting of a suitable text.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of when the United Nations draft declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples will be adopted. [5896]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor:
A UN working group on indigenous populations is still working on the draft declaration on the rights of indigenous people. The latest draft has been sent to Governments and others for comment. We hope that the declaration can be completed and agreed by the end of 2004 at the very latest.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards a United Nations draft declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples; and if he will make a statement. [5895]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor:
Last year, the UN Commission on Human Rights referred a draft declaration on the rights of indigenous people to a working group for further work. The working group has met twice, but progress has been slow. Once agreed, the text will be submitted to the Commission for Human Rights, then to the Economic and Social Council and finally to the UN General Assembly. We hope the declaration can be completed and agreed by the end of 2004.
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