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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Joint Environmental Markets Unit

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will second staff to work for the Government Joint Environmental Markets Unit. [121490]

Mr. Hain: We have agreed FCO funding for an initial six month secondment to DTI/DETR's Joint Environmental Markets Unit (JEMU). We are currently discussing with JEMU specific opportunities for later this year and are in the process of identifying suitable officers for secondment.

Treaty of Montreux

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will assess the benefits of reconvening the conference which led to the Treaty of Montreux to reconsider the provisions of that Treaty. [121473]

Mr. Hain: The UK keeps all Treaties to which it is a signatory under review. We do not believe there is a need for changes to the Montreux Convention at present. No other party to the Convention has asked for the conference to be reconvened.

Diplomatic Relations

Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the grounds on which the United Kingdom breaks off diplomatic relations with other countries. [122476]

Mr. Hain: The establishment of diplomatic relations between States takes place by mutual consent, and if either State withdraws that consent diplomatic relations are broken. There are no legal limitations on the right of a State to break diplomatic relations with another, but the action is now almost invariably taken for political reasons. A break in diplomatic relations often follows a sequence of reciprocal or retaliatory moves between two States to downgrade their relations or a collective political decision by a number of States directed against another State whose conduct is regarded as unacceptable. The reasons for the United Kingdom deciding to break off diplomatic relations in any particular instance depend very much on the circumstances of each case.

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Abdullah Ocalan

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Turkish Government regarding the case of Abdullah Ocalan; and if he will make a statement. [122382]

Mr. Vaz: I refer to my reply to my hon. Friend on 17 April 2000, Official Report, column 395W.

The conviction and sentencing of Mr. Ocalan are principally a matter for the Turkish courts. When the opportunity arises, we continue to make clear to the Turkish authorities our opposition to the death penalty as a matter of principle.

Cyprus

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) meetings attended and (b) people met by Sir David Hannay since 1 January in relation to Cyprus. [122383]

Mr. Vaz: Sir David Hannay is in regular contact with all those interested in a settlement of the Cyprus problem.

During the period in question, Sir David attended the second round of UN proximity talks in Geneva from 31 January to 8 February, in the course of which he had numerous contacts with all those present (including the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, the UN Secretary- General and his Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, representatives of the Greek and Turkish Governments and representatives of other Permanent Members of the Security Council, of other EU member states and of the European Commission).

Sir David visited Cyprus on 13-15 March, when he held discussions with the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders. He is planning to re-visit Cyprus in early June.

Sir David has also visited New York twice for discussions with the UN Secretary-General and his Special Adviser on Cyprus: Brussels for discussion with the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, and the Commissioner for Enlargement, Gunter Verheugen, and Commission officials; Strasbourg for discussions with Jacques Poos, European Parliament Rapporteur on Cyprus, and other members of the European Parliament; Lisbon for discussion with the Portuguese EU Presidency; Paris for discussion with the incoming French EU Presidency; Athens (twice) for discussion with representatives of the Greek Government; and Ankara for discussion with representatives of the Turkish Government.

Sir David also attended the call by President Clerides on the Prime Minister on 10 April and the call by Cyprus Foreign Minister Cassoulides on the Foreign Secretary on 16 May.

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he proposes to have with the Government of Turkey prior to the next round of talks on Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [122372]

Mr. Vaz: We are in regular contact with the Government of Turkey on the UN Cyprus process and will remain so. We continue to urge Turkey, and all those

19 May 2000 : Column: 304W

with an interest in the Cyprus settlement process, to continue to cooperate with the UN Secretary General in a constructive and flexible manner.

Balkans

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Bosniac refugees have returned to Zepa and Srebrenica since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. [122316]

Mr. Vaz: Since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement in November 1995, there have been 15 Bosniac returns to the town of Zepa, and 123 Bosniac returns to the Zepa municipality. There has been one Bosniac return to Srebrenica.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what final date has been set for the Kosovo municipal elections. [122315]

Mr. Vaz: No final date has been set for Kosovo's municipal elections. However, they are expected to take place in the autumn of this year.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of pre-war Bosniac inhabitants have returned to Eastern Bosnia since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. [122313]

Mr. Vaz: The UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) do not have on record any figures for the percentage of Bosniac returns to Eastern Bosnia. However since the signing of the Dayton agreement in November 1995, 247,228 Bosniacs have returned to the Federation.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Serb refugees have returned to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. [122317]

Mr. Vaz: There have been no significant outflows of ethnic Serb refugees from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) during the last decade.

UNHCR figures put the number of Serb refugee returns to Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1 January 1996 (shortly after the Dayton agreement) at 33,470.

According to UNHCR statistics, there were 200,900 refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina and 296,600 refugees from Croatia present in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) at the end of 1998 (the latest figures available). In addition the number of internally displaced persons from Kosovo present in other parts of the FRY has been estimated provisionally at 180,000.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Bosniac and Croat refugees have returned to the territory described as Republika Sprska since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. [122319]

Mr. Vaz: UNHCR figures state that between 1 January 1996 and 31 March 2000, there were 2,729 Bosniac returns and 1,021 Croat returns to Republika Sprska. (The General Framework Agreement for Peace was signed at Dayton in November 1995).

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Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in establishing an effective judiciary in Kosovo. [122314]

Mr. Vaz: The development of an effective judiciary remains a matter of priority for the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). In addition to the recruitment of local judges and prosecutors, the UN has asked the international community to consider seconding legal professionals of their own. We have received a number of registrations of interest from prosecutors and are seeking to identify judges for short-term detachments to Kosovo to work with UNMIK.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in preparations in advance of municipal elections in Kosovo, of regulations to define the function, powers and terms of, and limitations on, the municipal offices there; and what stage has been reached in the approval of these regulations by the UN. [122318]

Mr. Vaz: The Secretary General's Special Representative in Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, is, with the co-operation of the Council of Europe, in the process of preparing a draft regulation entitled "Self-Government of Municipalities in Kosovo" which will set out the status, responsibilities and powers of Kosovo's municipalities. The document is in its second draft and is subject to continuing discussion.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in the electoral registration of Kosovar Serbs resident in Serbia. [122312]

Mr. Vaz: Registration for the forthcoming municipal elections in Kosovo is the responsibility of the Joint Registration Task Force (JRTF) of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is handling out-of-area registration on behalf of the JRTF.

The JRTF is making strenuous efforts to ensure that displaced Kosovo Serbs are able to register. Three registration centres have been set up inside Kosovo, close to the internal boundary with Serbia for those Serbs wishing to register.

The task will be all the easier if Belgrade agrees to the registration process, which so far it has not. UNMIK are hoping however that Belgrade can be persuaded to give its agreement.

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