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Export Licences

23. Mr. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors underlay the advice given by his Department to the Department of Trade and Industry in respect of the declined export licence applications 14478 and 14146. [145057]

Mr. Hain: We do not comment on the specific factors underlying refusal of the individual export licence applications. The company concerned has been given the reason for refusal.

All export licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and in the case of India and Pakistan against the Lloyd Statement of 10 July 1998. In the application of the above criteria, account is taken of reliable evidence, including, for example, reporting from diplomatic posts, relevant reports by international bodies, intelligence and information from open sources and non-governmental organisations.

Democratic Republic of Congo

24. Mr. Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a

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statement on the failure of the 1999 Lusaka peace accord to maintain a stable peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [145058]

Mr. Hain: We continue to support the Lusaka agreement, which remains the only viable means of achieving a just and stable peace in the region. The death of President Kabila has provided a new chance of peace. We have urged the new DRC leadership and all other parties to seize this opportunity to implement Lusaka in full.

Middle East

28. Mr. Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the peace process in the middle east. [145062]

Mr. Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given in the House earlier today by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to my hon. Friend the Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Mr. Miller).

Lorry Deaths (Dover)

29. Mr. Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in reaching agreement with the Chinese Government for the return to China of the remains of the 58 young people found dead at Dover. [145063]

Mr. Battle: The bodies of the 58 Chinese nationals who died at Dover were repatriated to China on 18 January. We reached agreement with the Chinese Government that the bodies should be returned to the Fujian province of China, their place of origin, to be laid to rest by the immediate relatives there.

Diplomatic Estate

30. Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many ambassadorial and consular offices and houses (a) have been and (b) are due to be sold since May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [145064]

Mr. Battle: From 1 April 1997 to date, four Embassy/ Consular buildings, eight official residences and 99 other units of residential accommodation have been sold.

It is not possible to provide details of properties which might be sold in the future. The estate is regularly reviewed to ensure that all our properties provide value for money. We also seek to modernise the estate to meet the needs of the 21st century.

Cuba

32. Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about relations with Cuba. [145066]

Mr. Battle: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Angela Smith), Official Report, columns 788-89.

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Iraq

33. Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with opposition groups in Iraq about the effect of sanctions. [145067]

Mr. Hain: Ministers and officials keep in regular contact with representatives of the Iraqi opposition on all aspects of our Iraq policy. The Iraqi National Congress, perhaps the most significant opposition grouping, makes clear that it holds Saddam Hussein directly responsible for the suffering of the Iraqi people, and wishes to ensure that he can never again attack his own people or his neighbours with weapons of mass destruction.

35. Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Iraq. [145069]

Mr. Hain: Ten years after the outbreak of the Gulf war, we remember the allied service-men who lost their lives in the successful operation to expel Iraq from Kuwait. Kuwait is now prospering free from Iraqi tyranny. However, we should not forget the Kuwaitis missing since the occupation. I urge Iraq to co-operate with the Tripartite Commission, which is tracing the Kuwaiti missing.

Since the Gulf war, our policy has contained the threat posed by the Iraqi regime. In the last 10 years, Iraq has not used chemical weapons against the Kurds or Iran or invaded its neighbours. Nor has it fired Scud missiles at Israel or Saudi Arabia. Before sanctions, Iraq did all of these. That is why Britain will continue to support sanctions and the no-fly zones until Iraq no longer represents a threat. This anniversary should be a reminder to us all of why it is necessary to contain the Iraqi threat now as it was 10 years ago.

United Nations Security Council resolution 1284 offers Iraq a way out of sanctions. It allows for the suspension of sanctions in return for Iraqi co-operation with UN weapons inspectors. Britain wants to see sanctions suspended. Critics of sanctions should unite with us in calling on the regime to take up this offer rather than playing into Saddam's hands by supporting his defiance of the UN and international law and prolonging sanctions. Sanctions could be suspended in a matter of months if UN weapons inspectors are allowed into Iraq to control Saddam's biological, chemical and nuclear weapons capabilities, which are threatening the region.

Sierra Leone

34. Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the United Nations Security Council expert panel report on the link between diamonds and the arms trade in Sierra Leone. [145068]

Mr. Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington, North (Helen James), Official Report, columns 792-931.

North American Free Trade Agreement

36. Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations

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he has received from (a) the new US administration and (b) Republican members of the US Congress about the UK strengthening links with NAFTA. [145070]

Mr. Vaz: None.

Iran (Jewish Population)

37. Ms Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the treatment of Jews in Iran. [145072]

Mr. Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody), Official Report, column 794.

Turkey

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met his Turkish counterpart; and what issues they discussed. [R] [145053]

Mr. Vaz: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Cem in the margins of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna in November. They discussed the EU/Turkey accession partnership, the UN sponsored Cyprus settlement talks and European defence. They also met at the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels in December.

Denmark

Dr. Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of relations between the UK and Denmark; and if he will make a statement. [145060]

Mr. Vaz: Relations are excellent. Last year, Queen Margrethe II paid a highly successful State visit to Britain, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Copenhagen for bilateral talks, and eight other ministerial visits took place. My right hon. Friend had talks in London with the new Danish Minister last week.

Bangladesh

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representation he has made to (a) Ministers in Myanmar and (b) Ministers in Bangladesh on Bangladesh's latest offer of peace talks; and if he will make a statement. [146879]

Mr. Battle: No British representations have been made in the dispute between Burma and Bangladesh. We understand that the Governments of Burma and Bangladesh have had several contacts about the recent clashes. We hope that these and future discussions will resolve any outstanding problems.

Krishna Maharaj

Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has received from Clive Stafford Smith OBE, the Justice Center and others in relation to intervention in the Florida capital case of the British citizen, Krishna Maharaj; and if he will make a statement. [144464]

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Mr. Hain: Clive Stafford Smith was in regular contact with our consular staff in Atlanta and Ministers in London during Maharaj's hearings in 1997. Additionally, Mr. Stafford Smith met briefly with Linda Nassar, our vice consul in Orlando, while attending the hearings. He also discussed the case informally with Sir John Kerr, then our ambassador to Washington. Since then he has been in occasional contact with consular staff in Atlanta.

Most recently officials in the FCO's consular division met with him and others on 4 January to discuss Mr. Maharaj's case. This followed a series of communications in December, written and oral, between officials and Mr. Stafford Smith and others.

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