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Botswana

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet representatives of the Government of Botswana; and what issues will be discussed. [4283]

Mr. Bradshaw: There are no plans at present for the Foreign Secretary to meet with Government representatives of Botswana. British Ministers and officials meet their Botswanan counterparts regularly. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met President Mogae in London on 28 June.

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with (a) Botswana and (b) Namibia. [4282]

Mr. Bradshaw: The United Kingdom maintains a high level of official and ministerial contact with Botswana and Namibia, which ensures that bilateral relations with both countries are open and cordial.

Namibia

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet representatives of the Government of Namibia; and what issues will be discussed. [4284]

Mr. Bradshaw: There are no current plans for the Foreign Secretary to meet with Government representatives of Namibia. The UK maintains a regular and steady dialogue with the Government of Namibia on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.

Egypt

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last held discussions with the Egyptian authorities about the human rights of Christians in Egypt. [4126]

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Mr. Bradshaw: Our Embassy in Egypt closely follows all cases of human rights concern. We raise human rights cases, regardless of ethnic or religious background, with the Egyptian authorities. We do this both bilaterally and through the EU.

We believe that it is important to improve relations between faiths in Egypt and that is why the promotion of interfaith dialogue remains a key focus of our efforts.

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the infringement of the human rights of Christians in Egypt. [4127]

Mr. Bradshaw: We are, of course, interested in the human rights of all in Egypt regardless of their religious background. We maintain a regular dialogue with many Coptic Christians and we listen to their views and opinions. Not surprisingly we hear a range of different opinions, not least on the question of discrimination. While some Copts talk of persecution, others tell us there is no Government policy of discrimination against Christians, nor do they talk of persecution. Our embassy in Cairo assesses that there is no general policy of discrimination against Christians, a view shared by many leading Copts. We do, however, raise individual cases of concern.

Kashmir

Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet his Indian and Pakistani counterparts following the recent bilateral talks on the future of Kashmir. [4269]

Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary saw the Pakistani Foreign Minister, Abdul Sattar, on 12 June and spoke to the Indian Foreign Minister, Jaswant Singh, on 20 June. Although there are no firm plans for a ministerial meeting in the immediate future, we expect to discuss a meeting between the Indian and Pakistani leaders during our next exchanges with both India and Pakistan.

Middle East

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to secure a settlement in the middle east. [4140]

Mr. Bradshaw: We are actively engaged with the parties, and are working closely with the US, our EU partners and the UN to move the process forward. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have recently met Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Peres, US Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condi Rice, and EU counterparts. Lord Levy visited the region and met Sharon and Arafat on 11 and 12 July. Our message to all parties is the same: that the recommendations of the Sharm El Sheikh (Mitchell) Committee report are the roadmap for the return to political negotiations. We look to the Israelis and the Palestinians to take steps to end the violence, cease unilateral action which undermines the basis for peace, and immediately begin the full implementation of the Mitchell recommendations.

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I will be visiting the region between 18 and 25 July. I will restate this message and urge both sides to seize the opportunity that the Mitchell report provides.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received about whether Aung San Suu Kyi will be released from house arrest. [4737]

Mr. Bradshaw: The recent release of political prisoners in Burma has inevitably led to speculation that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will also soon be released from the period of house arrest she has undergone since September 2000. I very much hope that this will happen.

Amnesty International estimates that over 1,700 political prisoners remain in detention in Burma including, contrary to earlier reports, a number of MPs elect from the National League for Democracy. I will continue to urge the release of all political prisoners in Burma.

Afghanistan

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the regime in Afghanistan about the proposed law which will require Hindus to identify themselves by wearing yellow badges. [4736]

Mr. Bradshaw: Our High Commission in Islamabad raised our concerns about the edict with the Taliban mission in Islamabad on 23 May. We worked closely with our EU partners on the 25 May EU Declaration which urged the Taliban not to implement this edict and reminded them of their obligations under international human rights law. We understand that the edict has not yet been formally implemented, and that an alternative identity card system is under consideration.

Corporate Risk International

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has held with Corporate Risk International; and if he will make a statement. [4729]

Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with Corporate Risk International.

Green Ministers

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates his Department's Green Minister attended meetings of the Green Ministers' Committee during the current Session of Parliament; on what dates subsequent meetings are planned to take place; and if he will make a statement. [4815]

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 17 July 2001, Official Report, column 165W.

Institute of Export

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice and assistance his Department (a) gives and (b) has given during the last

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three years to the Institute of Export; how many Foreign Office employees have been seconded to the Institute of Export in each of the last three years; for what purposes; and at what cost to public funds. [4770]

Mr. MacShane: My Department—through British Trade International (BTI)—maintains close links with the Institute of Export and supports the Institute's work to promote the importance of exporting and to improve the performance of British exporters. In the last three years BTI and the Institute of Export (IOE) have worked together on the development of the regional delivery of BTI services, the design of a self-diagnostic test for potential exporters and the development of a training package for BTI staff.

In the last three years the FCO seconded two members of staff to the IOE, each for a period of approximately 18 months. These placements were managed by British Trade International as part of its remit to increase private sector expertise among its FCO and DTI staff. In previous years similar secondments were also undertaken by DTI staff. Staff remained on the payroll of their parent department. Any other costs associated with undertaking these assignments were met by the IOE.

Ministerial Duties

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each week from Monday 23 July to Monday 8 October which departmental Ministers will be on duty (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in London. [4901]

Mr. Straw: It is not the normal practice of the Government to publish the daily ministerial Duty Roster. This Department will ensure that it has enough cover through the summer recess in line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.

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