| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Chinese President (State Visit)
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations
26 Oct 1999 : Column: 803
his Department made to the Metropolitan Police about the public order implications of the state visit of the President of China. [95647]
Mr. Battle:
As is normal practice in preparing for State Visits, there were routine Whitehall meetings to go through the programme so that the Metropolitan Police could make their operational decisions.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the UK's participation within NATO in respect of the provision of intelligence information regarding refugees. [95569]
Mr. Vaz:
It is longstanding Government practice not to comment on intelligence matters.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial responsibility the UK has accepted in respect of refugees from the former Yugoslavia. [95570]
Mrs. Roche:
I have been asked to reply.
Currently, refugees who arrive in the United Kingdom and claim asylum are entitled to welfare benefits if they claim asylum at the port of entry, or help under the National Assistance Act 1948 or the Children Act 1989 if they make their claim after they have entered the country.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial provision he has made in connection with requests from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement. [95566]
Mr. Hain:
Our total UN assessed contribution to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to date is £7.1 million since the Tribunal was established in 1993. In addition, we have made voluntary contributions totalling just over £2.6 million towards, for example, the construction of ICTY's second court- room; its Exhumations Programme; the translation of Prosecution documents; and more recently a UK Scenes of Crime Team which is helping ICTY's investigation of atrocities in Kosovo.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Chinese Government about the persecution of people who practise Falun Gong; and if he will make a statement. [95561]
Mr. Battle:
We have made a series of representations expressing our disappointment to the Chinese Government at the banning of the Falun Gong on 22 July and supported an EU Presidency demarche in Peking on 29 July to the Chinese Government. We reiterated our concerns about the Chinese government's treatment of Falun Gong adherents during the latest round of our high level Bilateral Human Rights Dialogue between 13-15 September. Both the Prime Minister and the
26 Oct 1999 : Column: 804
Foreign Secretary raised the issue of human rights, including freedom of expression and freedom of religious belief, with the Chinese during the State Visit.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Burma regarding the alleged massacres at Kwei and Hpway Plaw villages, and the killings at Ta Hpo Hkee and the Tavoy District; and if he will make a statement. [95669]
Mr. Battle:
We had heard reports of these appalling events, but have been unable to substantiate the details. We remain deeply concerned about human rights violations against the Karen and other ethnic minorities in Burma and raise our concerns regularly with the military regime. We will continue to do so.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department is currently giving to those planning to travel to Egypt; and if he will make a statement. [95574]
Mr. Hain:
The FCO travel advice for Egypt, as valid on 22 October 1999 is as follows:
26 Oct 1999 : Column: 805
FCO travel advice represents an objective assessment of the risks to British nationals. It is designed to help them choose whether to travel and how to reduce their exposure to danger. It is reviewed regularly.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to ratify the Rome Statute for an International Criminal Court; and if he will make a statement. [95567]
Mr. Hain:
The Government will bring forward legislation to enable ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as soon as the parliamentary timetable permits. We are strongly committed to the Court and intend to be among the first sixty states to ratify.
Mr. Wyatt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to appoint a commercial officer to the British Embassy in Tripoli; and if he will make a statement. [95887]
Mr. Hain:
We have selected and appointed two UK based commercial officers to our Embassy in Tripoli. Following pre-posting preparation, the Head of Commercial Section should be in Tripoli in early December with his deputy following early next year.
British Trade International now offer a trade promotion service, within the constraints of the present lack of specialist commercial staff in Tripoli.
Full commercial support in Tripoli will be available when the commercial section is operational but staff in Tripoli will meanwhile continue to help where they can.
Mr. Hope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to release more records of the wartime Special Operations Executive. [96166]
Mr. Battle:
The records of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) have been released on a rolling basis since 1993. The seventh batch, comprising SOE Section Histories and its Headquarters War Diaries, will be opened at the Public Record Office today. Further records, including Headquarters policy files, will be released in due course.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of the Republic of Congo about torture of child witch doctors in Kinshasa. [95231]
Mr. Hain:
We have asked our Embassy in Kinshasa to investigate these reports. We maintain a regular dialogue with the Minister for Human Rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, covering all facets of human rights and child rights issues. We condemn all acts of violence against civilians and any acts that cause unnecessary suffering. We continue to urge the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to
26 Oct 1999 : Column: 806
apply rigorously international humanitarian law and human rights law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
(Former Yugoslavia)
Begins
"British nationals travelling to Egypt should keep in touch with developments in the Middle East. Any increase in regional tension might affect travel advice.
Over 200,000 British nationals visit Egypt each year. Most enjoy a trouble-free stay. Visitors should dress modestly, and respect local customs and sensitivities.
Beginning in 1992 extremists conducted a campaign of violence against the Egyptian Government, mainly in the Governorates of Minya and Assiut (half way between Cairo and Luxor) but with sporadic attacks in other areas. Most incidents were directed at the police, or were sectarian in nature. However, some were directed against tourists. In March 1999 the principal extremist group reportedly announced a ceasefire, which has held so far. But the risk of a renewed campaign, including attacks on foreigners, remains. In addition, Egypt is one of a number of countries where we believe there is a threat to British interests from global terrorism.
The Egyptian authorities have expressed their determination to prevent attacks on foreign visitors and have taken a number of steps to increase security, especially at tourist sites. British nationals should be vigilant and respect any advice from the local security authorities.
There remains a small risk from unexploded mines in some desert areas, and some limited coastal areas. Visitors should follow local advice, especially if travelling off road.
Local driving conditions and poor vehicle maintenance make road travel outside the main cities hazardous, especially at night. In the event of an accident emergency medical facilities are limited.
Millennium Bug
The Egyptian Government are continuing their efforts to minimise the effects of any Millennium Bug problems in Egypt. Based on the information available at present, we believe that as elsewhere, there is a risk of limited disruption in some sectors. Particular sectors include health and the mobile telephone network. British nationals resident in or visiting Egypt should take the potential for temporary disruption into account when making their plans for the New Year period. These should include checking insurance cover and having enough cash to cover contingencies."
Ends
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |