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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Indonesia (Arms Sales)
Audrey Wise: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the applications for arms sales to Indonesia which have been (a) allowed and (b) refused since 1 May 1997. [88590]
Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.
Information on export licensing decisions between 2 May and 31 December 1997 was set out in the Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls, published on 25 March by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The entry in the relevant legislation under which the export of goods is controlled is known as their rating. The Export Control Organisation's computer databases have been interrogated and the following results were obtained. Between 1 January 1998 and 18 June 1999, 51 Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) and 20 Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs) were issued covering the export to consignees or end-users in Indonesia of goods subject to export control by being listed in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, the so-called Military List.
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This information does not cover any Media OIELs that may have been issued during this period. Media OIELs authorise the export to all destinations of protective clothing, mainly for the protection of aid agency workers and journalists, when working in areas of conflict.
This information should be considered in light of the answer given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche), to my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on 30 October 1997, Official Report, columns 870-71.
In addition, the export to specified countries, including Indonesia, of specified goods on the Military List is permitted under certain Open General Licences; copies of all Open General Licences valid at any time during the period are in the Library of the House.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what analysis his Department has made on the effect of the present conflict on the trade and economies of those countries neighbouring Kosovo and Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement. [86060]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
We are in close touch with the countries of the region to assess the economic impact of the crisis and consider ways to help minimise its effects, working with our EU partners and the International Financial Institutions. The impact will vary widely from country to country. Within the EU, we have strongly supported the provision of additional assistance to the region. So far the European Commission has allocated 150m euros in humanitarian support and a further 100m euros in budgetary support.
Mr. Winnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he intends to have further discussions with other European Ministers regarding the safety of civilian Serbs in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement. [89601]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
We discuss regularly with our European partners issues relating to the safety of all ethnic minorities in Kosovo. KFOR are fully seized of the need to protect all Kosovo citizens. As NATO Secretary General Solana has stated:
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Mr. Tony Lloyd:
Our first priority is to investigate and establish the details of atrocities committed in Kosovo. Once that is done, we shall review how these details will be presented to Parliament.
Mr. Gerald Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions in the past four weeks on which (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have travelled by official car on the M4 between Heathrow Airport and Chiswick roundabout. [89028]
Mr. Robin Cook
[holding answer 29 June 1999]: It is not our policy, for security and other considerations, to disclose the routes used by Ministers. But in the course of official business I inevitably travel frequently to Heathrow.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assistance he is providing the Sierra Leone Government for the pursuit of perpetrators of war crimes; and if he will make a statement; [89606]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
Britain continues to make clear to all parties in Sierra Leone the crucial importance of respect for human rights; and has consistently condemned human rights violations in Sierra Leone. We unreservedly condemn the appalling human rights abuses committed during the conflict in Sierra Leone. We look to the rebels to demonstrate remorse for the enormous suffering they have inflicted on the people of Sierra Leone.
Britain is leading the way in providing support for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Sierra Leone. For example, the emergency food, medicine, and disinfectant which Britain provided and distributed in the immediate aftermath of the rebel incursion into Freetown in January helped save lives and alleviate suffering.
Our latest £10 million package of assistance to Sierra Leone is helping the West African Peacekeeping Force, ECOMOG, to protect the people of Sierra Leone from rebel atrocities. We have made it clear that our support is conditional on ECOMOG and the Government of Sierra Leone respecting human rights.
We support the efforts being made to confront these issues in the current peace negotiations between the Government of Sierra Leone and the rebels. A long-term reconciliation process will be essential if lasting peace is to be achieved in Sierra Leone. We are ready to consider how we can best contribute to this process following a peace agreement, in support of the United Nations and others.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the present operational status of the United Kingdom High Commission in Sierra Leone. [89605]
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Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The British High Commission in Freetown is fully operational, with the exception of the Consular/Visa section. This section remains closed except for genuine emergencies, and will re-open as soon as a permanent Vice-Consul can arrive. We regret the inconvenience caused by the absence of a Vice-Consul, and are taking urgent steps to fill this staffing gap.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy towards encouraging the continued deployment of ECOMOG forces in Sierra Leone; what has been the total financial cost to ECOMOG of deployment to date; what has been the total (a) cost and (b) nature of United Kingdom support to ECOMOG; and if he will make a statement. [89657]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
We are providing considerable practical support for ECOMOG's efforts to consolidate the security situation in Sierra Leone. We believe that ECOMOG should continue to play an important role in providing security in Sierra Leone for the time being. We are encouraged by President Obasanjo's recent public commitment that Nigerian troops will remain in Sierra Leone until peace is guaranteed.
"KFOR will operate in an impartial and even-handed manner . . . [it] will not tolerate any . . . intimidation of any of the people of Kosovo".
Mr. Winnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to publish a White Paper on the atrocities carried out in Kosovo during the Serbian rule. [89600]
(2) what support his Department is providing for human rights in Sierra Leone; and if he will make a statement. [89607]
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