---

Gibraltar

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals he estimates live full-time in Gibraltar; and how many UK-registered businesses operate in Gibraltar. [32019]

Peter Hain: The latest figures published by the Gibraltar Government show that some 3,700 non- Gibraltarian British passport holders were living in Gibraltar in 2000.

Details on how many UK registered businesses operate in Gibraltar are not available but there is a substantial number of business interests of UK origin.

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what present trading arrangements exist between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom. [32066]

Peter Hain: The same trading arrangements apply to trade between Gibraltar and the UK as between Gibraltar and the rest of the EU.

The EC treaty applies to Gibraltar by virtue of Article 299(4). But Gibraltar is exempt from the VAT and Common Agriculture and Fisheries provisions of the Treaty. It is also excluded from the Common Commercial Policy and Community Customs Territory. In consequence, intra-Community rules on Customs and free movement of goods do not apply to Gibraltar, and Gibraltar is a third country under the common regime for imports.

United Kingdom exports to Gibraltar were £128 million in 2001.

Gibraltar was the United Kingdom's 73rd export market in 2000.

Mohamed Mustafa Kamel

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the release by the Government of Yemen of a British citizen held on terrorism charges. [31866]

Mr. Bradshaw: Mohamed Mustafa Kamel, a British national, was released from Mansoura Prison, Aden, on 26 January 2002 following the completion of his three-year sentence.

British Detainees (Mazar-i-Sharif)

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether UK nationals are being held in Shebhargen prison near Mazar-i-Sharif. [32234]

Mr. Bradshaw: We are not aware of any UK nationals being held in Shebhargen prison near Mazar-i-Sharif.

Burundi

Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to encourage a comprehensive military and political agreement with the FDD and other armed movements excluded from Burundi's peace process. [32282]

6 Feb 2002 : Column 950W

Mr. MacShane: The UK has pledged £250,000 in support of the facilitation efforts of President Bongo of Gabon and Vice President Zuma of South Africa. They are working hard to bring together all the disparate elements in the Burundi conflict with the aim of a peaceful negotiated settlement.

Kosovo

Mrs. Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in identifying the bodies found in Dragodan and Suva Reka in Kosovo. [32169]

Mr. MacShane: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has exhumed 210 bodies from individual graves at the cemetery in Dragodan. According to the Missing Persons Unit of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), 52 of the 210 bodies have been identified to date.

ICTY completed its exhumations in Suva Reka in October 2000. The 73 bodies identified to date have been Kosovo Albanians.

In accordance with last November's UNMIK-FRY Common Document, UNMIK will launch a comprehensive programme of exhumation and identification in Kosovo this year. This will include Suva Reka where 300 unidentified bodies, exhumed by ICTY from graves across Kosovo, were re-interred by UNMIK.

Mrs. Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has UNMIK made in tracing the missing Serbs in Kosovo. [32168]

Mr. MacShane: Action to trace missing Serbs from Kosovo is being taken forward by both the UNMIK-FRY Contact Group on Missing Persons and the new High Ranking Working Group, established following signature of the UNMIK-FRY Common Document in November 2001.

In the Common Document, UNMIK agreed to launch a programme of exhumation and identification in Kosovo this year. As a first step in this process, three joint protocols covering cross-border repatriation of identified remains, joint verification teams and an exchange of forensic information were signed by UNMIK and the Yugoslav authorities in Belgrade on 24 January.

UNMIK is also in the process of transferring 800 bone samples to the International Commission on Missing Persons' (ICMP) state of the art DNA testing facilities in Sarajevo. The UK is supporting the work of the ICMP with a donation of £250,000.

UN Security Council

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what developments in respect of enhanced counter-terrorism protection measures for (a) civil and (b) military nuclear facilities were transmitted by the Interdepartmental Group on Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) to the UN Security Council, pursuant to SCR 1373 in December 2001. [32728]

6 Feb 2002 : Column 951W

Mr. MacShane: The defence of civil and military nuclear facilities was not mentioned in either UN Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) or in the guidance for the report.

A copy of the UK's response to the Counter Terrorism Committee has been placed in the House of Commons Library, and can also be found at www.un.org/docs/ sc/committees/1373.

Nuclear Terrorism

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European Union and United States counterparts on the threat of nuclear terrorism. [32289]

Mr. MacShane: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has had regular discussions with his European Union and United States counterparts about terrorist threats, including the threat of nuclear terrorism.

Saudi Arabia

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what access British diplomats have had to (a) Mr. Sandy Mitchell, (b) Mr. Jimmy Cottle, (c) Mr. James Lee and (d) Mr. Les Walker; what evidence against them has been provided by the Saudi authorities; what legal assistance has been made available to them; what charges have been made against them; what date has been set for their trial; and what representations have been made to the Saudi Government regarding their treatment. [32925]

Mr. Bradshaw: British embassy consular officials have visited Sandy Mitchell, Jimmy Cottle, James Lee, Les Walker and Peter Brandon as often as allowed. This has been about once a month since we secured consular access to the men. The Saudi authorities have shown us no evidence against the men. Four of the men have been shown on Saudi television saying they carried out bombings. We pressed hard for the men to be allowed to appoint lawyers. This has been allowed and the men have now done so. Their lawyers now have unrestricted access to them. We have not been told what the men may stand trial for. No date for a trial has been set.

We are extremely concerned about various aspects of this case, including that our access to the prisoners has been restricted. We are in close touch with the detainees' families. The majority of them agree that we should not discuss the cases in detail in public. Throughout we have raised these cases at the highest levels with the Saudi authorities. We continue to do so.

Kashmir

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to encourage a reduction of tension between India and Pakistan about Kashmir; and if he will make a statement. [32838]

Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs is in frequent contact with his Indian and Pakistani counterparts, and other international partners. We are urging Pakistan to

6 Feb 2002 : Column 952W

continue its crackdown on terrorism. We continue to reiterate to both countries that their differences will best be resolved through dialogue.

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received about human rights violations in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement. [32839]

Mr. Bradshaw: We remain very concerned over the human rights situation in Kashmir. We condemn all acts of violence that bring suffering to the people of Kashmir.

We continue to receive regular correspondence from the public and from non-governmental organisations with interests in human rights in Kashmir. We have urged the Government of India to allow greater access to Kashmir, including for international human rights organisations and for UN Rapporteurs. Most recently the Secretary of State discussed human rights in Kashmir on 29 January with Jaswant Singh, the Indian Foreign Minister.

We continue to impress on the Indian authorities the benefits of greater transparency and importance of investigating abuses.

---