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Biological Weapons Convention

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place with other Governments on the ratification of the verification protocol amendment to the Biological Weapons Convention 1972. [8621]

Mr. Bradshaw: None on the ratification of the protocol. The last meeting of the Ad Hoc Group of the States Parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) which had been negotiating a Protocol took place from 24 July to 17 August 2001. The meeting concluded without agreement on a Protocol text or a future negotiating process. We continue to support the strengthening of the BTWC and have regular discussions with like-minded partners about further options to achieve this objective.

Botswana

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the Government have made to the Government of Botswana concerning their policy of resettling the nomadic San people in villages. [9065]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Foreign Secretary called on President Mogae of Botswana when he and his Foreign Minister visited London in June. The issue of resettlement of the San people was discussed during the meeting. The British High Commissioner discussed the San when he presented his credentials to President Mogae in September.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is being done to hold President Mugabe to the Abuja Accord. [9434]

Mr. Bradshaw: Together with our EU partners, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Commonwealth and other concerned members of the international community, we continue to urge the Government of Zimbabwe to abide by the commitments it made in Abuja. My noble Friend Baroness Amos plans to visit Zimbabwe on 25–26 October with Abuja partners, to assess progress on the ground.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Zimbabwe. [8303]

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Mr. Bradshaw: We are very concerned by the continuing breakdown of law and order in Zimbabwe. We are working with our Commonwealth, African, EU and other international partners to urge the Zimbabwean Government to restore the rule of law, respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, and implement economic reform. We continue to urge the Zimbabwean Government to abide by the commitments it made in Abuja. My noble Friend Baroness Amos plans to visit Zimbabwe on 25–26 October to assess the situation on the ground, as part of the Abuja process, and in the company of other Commonwealth representatives.

Middle East

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement regarding the release of Israeli soldiers by the Lebanese Hizbollah. [8315]

Mr. Bradshaw: This Government condemn hostage taking under any circumstances. The Government are doing what they can to help in these cases, and continue to raise them with the relevant countries in the region pressing particularly for access to the hostages for the ICRC. We strongly support all efforts to secure the release of all hostages, particularly efforts led by the United Nations Secretary General.

Burma

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recent report compiled by Earthrights International regarding the activities of Premier Oil in Burma; and if he will make a statement. [8712]

Mr. Bradshaw: The report to which the hon. Member refers, published in May 2000, criticised Premier Oil's presence in Burma on the ground that it helped prop up a military regime under which human rights abuses, including forced labour, are widespread. We share that view and have asked Premier to leave Burma as soon as, and to the fullest extent that, it legally can.

Pakistan

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Pakistani counterparts concerning the sentencing to death of Dr. Yunis Shaikh for blasphemy on 18 August. [8307]

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Mr. Bradshaw: The then FCO Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Baroness Scotland, raised this with the Pakistani Minister of Law, Ms Shahida Jamil, in April. In May, the local EU Troika raised the application of the blasphemy laws with Ms Jamil. Officials in our High Commission in Islamabad most recently discussed Mr. Shaikh's case with representatives of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in August. We will continue to follow this issue closely.

Tibet

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) the most recent talks between the EU and Chinese regarding Tibet and (b) the situation of Chadrel Rinpoche, Gedun Choekyi, Ngawang Sangdrol, Ngawang Choephel and the anniversary monks. [8310]

Mr. MacShane: The information is as follows:

(a) The EU raised our concerns about Tibet at the EU-China summit on 5 September. The EU-China Human Rights Dialogue on 25–26 October will provide another opportunity to discuss these concerns in detail.

(b) We regularly raise our concerns about political prisoners in Tibet. Chadrel Rinpoche, Gedun Choekyi Nyima, Ngawang Sangdrol and Ngawang Cheophel were among the individual cases raised at the last round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 12–14 February. The Chinese gave the following information:

Chadrel Rinpoche was in good health and allowed to study (i.e. watch TV and read newspapers). He was not held in solitary confinement, sharing his room with one other inmate. He was not required to carry out hard labour. We were told Chadrel was due for release on 9 January 2002.

Ngawang Sangdrol was in good health, studies in her spare time and engages in weaving as a hobby. Her release date was 2013, her sentence having been extended three times for engaging in protests.

Ngawang Choephel was in good health physically and mentally.

In response to our call for independent access to Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the Chinese said that his parents wished to preserve his privacy. We continue t press the Chinese for reassurance that Gedhun Choekyi is alive and well, and for independent access to him.

We have no news of the two monks (Phuntsok Legmon and Namdrol) who were sentenced in July 1999 for protesting on 10 March 1999 in Lhasa.

Dublin and Monaghan Bombings

Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department has responded to requests for information from the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974 by the delivery of relevant documents; and if he will make a statement. [7950]

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 22 October 2001, Official Report, column 16W.

Sri Lanka

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many arms export licences for arms sales to Sri Lanka have been rejected in each of the past five years. [8732]

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Nigel Griffiths: I have been asked to reply.

Details of all export licensing decisions taken between 2 May 1997 and 31 December 2000 were set out in the Government's 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; copies are in the Library of the House.

The next Annual Report covering the period to December 2001 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the calendar year.

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list how many arms export licences have been granted in each of the past five years for arms sales to Sri Lanka; if he will list the arms exported by each deal; if he will list who has received the arms in Sri Lanka; and what their end-use is. [8736]

Nigel Griffiths: I have been asked to reply.

Details of all export licensing decisions taken between 2 May 1997 and 31 December 2000 were set out in the Government's 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; copies are in the Library of the House.

From 1 January 2001 to 8 October 2001, 19 Standard Individual Export Licences and four Open Individual Export Licences were issued covering items on the Military List destined for Sri Lanka.

In addition, goods on the Military List may have been exported to Sri Lanka under certain Open General Export Licences; copies of all Open General Export Licences valid at any time during the period are in the Library of the House.

Under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, Exemption 13—Third Party's Commercial confidences, I cannot provide the information requested on end use as it has been provided to the Government in confidence. In addition, publication of this information could reveal details of the recipient country's defence strategy, as well as being commercially damaging to the exporter.

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