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Sudan
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) his officials recently met representatives of the Government of the Sudan; what was discussed; when normal diplomatic relations will be restored; and if he will make a statement. [89150]
Mr. Hoon: Dr. Hassan Abdeen, Under-Secretary at the Sudanese Ministry of External Relations, visited London during the week beginning 21 June. He paid a courtesy call on me and had other meetings with officials.
Discussions covered a wide range of issues and on 25 June a joint statement was released announcing agreement to the return of British and Sudanese staff to Khartoum and London. This is an important step in normalising relations between the two countries.
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Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the state of the ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains, Southern Blue Nile and Western Upper Nile regions of Sudan. [89523]
Mr. Hoon:
The ceasefire in southern Sudan, first agreed during the visit to the region of the late Derek Fatchett in July 1998 and recently confirmed at a meeting between the UN, the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army, relates to Bahr el Ghazal.
We shall continue to press for a comprehensive ceasefire throughout Sudan.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received concerning the treatment of Sudanese people in the peace camps in the Nuba Mountains in Sudan. [89520]
Mr. Hoon:
Owing to the difficulty of access, we receive few reports on the situation in the Nuba Mountains. However, a UN assessment mission did visit very recently. I look forward to seeing their report.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the progress of oil excavations in southern Sudan by Western oil companies. [89524]
Mr. Hoon:
Oil exploration has been going on in southern Sudan for some time. A pipeline has recently been built from fields to the Red Sea coast. I understand that oil is likely to flow through the pipeline in the near future.
Dr. Fox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of statutory instruments introduced by his Department into Parliament in (a) 1998, (b) 1992, (c) 1985 and (d) 1973 had the European Union as their legislative source. [89167]
Ms Quin:
The total number of Statutory Instruments (SIs) registered as General Instruments in 1998, 1992, 1985 and 1973 is listed in the following table. I have indicated where information is available, the number of SIs which were made by my Department to comply with European Community obligations.
| Year | Number of SIs | Number implementing EC obligations |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1,565 | 5 |
| 1992 | 1,692 | 2 |
| 1985 | 1,204 | 3 |
| 1973 | 1,260 | 2 |
Loizidou v. Turkey Judgment
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy in respect of the Loizidou v. Turkey judgment by the European Court of Human Rights. [89389]
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Ms Quin:
Responsibility for implementing the judgment in Loizidou v. Turkey lies with Turkey. We take such responsibilities seriously, as with all obligations in the Council of Europe, and expect other members to do likewise. We continue to make clear to Turkey, including in the Committee of Ministers' Deputies, the need to respect the Court's judgment.
The Chairman of the Committee of Ministers' Deputies wrote to the Turkish Foreign Minister on 22 June requesting information on how Turkey intended to satisfy its obligations in this case. The Government fully supported this action.
Mr. Winnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civilian Serbs in Kosovo have been unlawfully killed since NATO troops entered. [89602]
Mr. Tony Lloyd
[holding answer 2 July 1999]: KFOR are aware of a number of incidents where Serb civilians have been killed by Kosovo Albanians and are taking measures to ensure the security of all citizens. At present, no verifiable figures are available.
As the answer I gave to my hon. Friend on 2 July 1999, Official Report, column 314 made clear, steps are being taken to reassure Serb civilians in Kosovo.
Mr. Winnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to establish an armed international police force in Kosovo. [89603]
Mr. Tony Lloyd
[holding answer 2 July 1999]: UN Security Council Resolution 1244 authorised the UN Secretary General to establish an international civil presence in Kosovo, with responsibility inter alia for maintaining civil law and order, including through the establishment of local forces and meanwhile through the deployment of international police personnel. It was agreed at the Friends of Kosovo meeting in New York on 30 June that the United Nations Mission in Kosovo should acquire the capacity to take over responsibility for public security from KFOR as soon as possible.
The UN Secretariat has recommended that UN police officers serving in Kosovo should be armed for self-defence purposes, but has left the final decision to UN members. The Foreign Secretary has already announced that the UK is willing to provide 60 police officers to recruit, to train and to monitor a civil police force in Kosovo.
Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for July, and the major European Union events for the next six months. [90107]
Mr. Trickett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for July, and the major European Union events for the next six months. [90108]
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| July 1999 | Venue | Event | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Oulu | Industry and Research Ministers (Informal) | |
| 9-10 | Oulu | Labour/Social Affairs Ministers (Informal) | |
| 12 | Brussels | ECOFIN | |
| 16 | Brussels | Budget Council | |
| 18-20 | Savonlinna | Culture and Audiovisual Ministers (Informal) | |
| 19-20 | Brussels | General Affairs Council | |
| 19-20 | Brussels | Agriculture Council | |
| 20-23 | Strasbourg | European Parliament Plenary | |
| 23-25 | Helsinki | Environment Ministers (Informal) | |
| 28 | Brussels | Preparatory Meeting for EU-ACP Ministerial Meeting on 29-30 July | |
| 29-30 | Brussels | EU-ACP Ministerial Meeting | |
| No agendas have yet been circulated for the above meetings | |||
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European Calendar: July-December 1999
This calendar is primarily concerned with European Union matters, but certain other relevant events are also included. Events and dates quoted are based on the information available on the date of issue.
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