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EU Documents (Security Classification)

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the requirements for EU documents to receive security classification, broken down by security grade. [15172]

Peter Hain: EU information may be classified at the following levels:

TRES SECRET UE/EU TOP SECRET

SECRET UE

CONFIDENTIEL UE

RESTREINT UE.

The criteria for classification are laid down in the Council Decision concerning the adoption of the Council Security Regulations (Council Decision No. 2001/264/EU adopted on 19 March 2001).

The criteria are:

1. TRES SECRET UE/EU TOP SECRET: This classification shall be applied only to information and material the unauthorised disclosure of which could cause exceptionally grave prejudice to the essential interests of the European Union or of one or more of its member states.

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2. SECRET UE: This classification shall be applied only to information and material the unauthorised disclosure of which could seriously harm the essential interests of the European Union or of one or more of its member states.

3. CONFIDENTIEL UE: This classification shall be applied to information and material the unauthorised disclosure of which could harm the essential interests of the European Union or of one or more of its member states.

4. RESTREINT UE: This classification shall be applied to information and material the unauthorised disclosure of which could be disadvantageous to the interests of the European Union or of one or more of its member states.

Macedonia

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made regarding the role of an elite police unit in Trebos, Macedonia, during its recent deployment. [15609]

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received concerning the deaths of three Macedonian soldiers near the village of Trebos, Macedonia, on 11 November. [15405]

Mr. MacShane: Three Macedonian policemen were killed near Trebos, Macedonia, on 11 November. This incident shows that the security situation remains delicate. We continue to urge all parties to show restraint, not to return to violence, and to co-ordinate and co-operate fully with the OSCE and NATO to ensure successful and peaceful redeployment of Macedonian security forces.

International War Crimes Tribunal

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been charged with offences before the International War Crimes Tribunal; and how many have been (a) convicted and (b) acquitted. [15335]

Peter Hain: There are two International Criminal Tribunals, that for former Yugoslavia in The Hague (ICTY), and that for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania (ICTR).

At ICTY, 61 indictees have appeared in proceedings before the tribunal. Twenty-five have been convicted, two acquitted, three have had convictions overturned on appeal, 17 are at pre-trial stage, seven on trial, three awaiting sentencing judgment and one awaiting judgment.

At ICTR, 52 indictees have appeared in proceedings before the tribunal. Nine have been convicted, none have been acquitted or had convictions overturned on appeal, 26 are at the pre-trial stage and 17 currently on trial.

These statistics and further information are available on the Tribunals' websites at www.un.org.icty and www.ictr.org.

The United Kingdom ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, in New York, on 4 October 2001, being the 42nd state to do so. Forty-six states have now ratified. The court will be established immediately following the 60th ratification. It will not have retrospective jurisdiction.

Solomon Islands

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he

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has made of preparations for the forthcoming elections in the Solomon Islands; and if he will make a statement on relations with the Solomon Islands. [15603]

Mr. MacShane: Preparations for the elections scheduled for 5 December are being co-ordinated by the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission and are progressing well. International donors (UK, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan and the EU) have contributed SI$18.2 million towards the costs of holding the elections, of which the UK has provided £60,000. Our contribution has included providing a co-ordinator to assist the Electoral Commission, deploying international peace monitors/observers, and funding an educational group to tour the country to explain voting procedures. After the election we plan to fund parliamentary workshops for the new MPs.

Bilateral relations with the Solomon Islands are good. In addition to electoral assistance, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office assistance to the Solomon Islands has included projects to strengthen the judiciary, the police, promote good governance, and protect the environment.

Tuvalu

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation in Tuvalu. [15605]

Mr. MacShane: The Pacific Island state of Tuvalu has been an independent realm within the Commonwealth since October 1978. Our relations with Tuvalu, which stretch back well over a hundred years, are warm and friendly.

Tuvalu consists of a small group of low-lying coral atolls. Potential rises in sea-levels around the world are therefore of considerable concern to the people of Tuvalu.

The United Kingdom shares Tuvalu's concerns about climate change and the effect that this is having on sea levels. We have played a leading role in encouraging a global response to climate change, and final agreement was reached on 10 November in Marrakech on a set of detailed rules for implementing the Kyoto Protocol. This gives countries the certainty they need to ratify Kyoto, and start making real reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases.

EU Enlargement

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made by (a) Hungary, (b) Poland, (c) the Czech Republic, (d) Cyprus, (e) Slovenia, (f) Malta, (g) Lithuania, (h) Estonia, (i) Latvia, (j) Slovakia, (k) Romania and (l) Bulgaria in their respective accession processes to the European Union. [15396]

Peter Hain: All candidates in negotiations have made steady progress towards accession. Of the 31 chapters into which the acquis are divided, Cyprus has closed the most (23) and Romania the least (8). Overall, since the beginning of the year, the candidates in negotiations have provisionally closed 74 chapters. This year's Commission Regular Reports, detailing the candidates' progress

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towards meeting the obligations of EU membership, were published on 13 November. They can be accessed at http://europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/index.htm.

Conflict Diamonds (al-Qaeda)

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on links between Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda and the conflict diamonds trade in Sub-Saharan Africa. [15406]

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role of al-Qaeda in the illicit trade in diamonds in Sierra Leone. [16232]

Peter Hain: Two stories have recently appeared in the media alleging links between Osama Bin Laden and the trade in illicit diamonds. There is little doubt that terrorist organisations, like other criminal groups, have over the years, traded in illicit diamonds to generate funds for their activities. The Kimberley Process was designed to devise a way to break the link between the illicit diamond trade and armed conflict. Urgent completion of its work on an international certification scheme for rough diamonds would also help curb other illegal sales, including those which fund terrorists.

11 September (British Victims)

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list known British victims of the terrorist attacks of 11 September. [15664]

Mr. Bradshaw: To date, four British nationals, and one foreign national with a close connection to the United Kingdom, have been positively identified as among the dead.

A further 72 people are on our list of possible victims of the terrorist attacks. This number includes 54 British nationals, five dual nationals and 13 foreign nationals with close links to the United Kingdom. The police are checking meticulously all reports of missing people and the final number of victims could still change.

It would be an unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the families of the victims to list the names here. We must respect the wish of the families for privacy in their time of grief.

Tanzania

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) number and (b) impact of refugees from Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo on the situation in Tanzania. [16154]

Mr. Bradshaw: At the end of October, the number of refugees in camps in Tanzania under the aegis of UNHCR totalled 481,000. Of these 346,000 were from Burundi; 110,000 from the Democratic Republic of Congo; and 25,000 from Rwanda. A further 170,000 Burundian refugees are assimilated into the local community and living in villages in Tanzania.

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The main impact on Tanzania of these refugees has been instability and increased criminality in border areas (where most of the camps are located), increased pressure on Tanzania's infrastructure and resources, and environmental degradation (especially deforestation).

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