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New Delhi Declaration
26. Mr. Doran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the Delhi Declaration. [54394]
Mr. Bradshaw: The New Delhi Declaration, signed by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and the Indian Prime Minister on 6 January 2002, represents a new high-water mark in the strong and vibrant relationship between the UK and India. It identifies many areas of common interest and sets out a road map for future co-operation, both bilaterally and on the world stage. The Declaration is already having an impact.
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Elements of it were discussed by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and myself in our meetings with our Indian counterparts in the last three months.
Channel Tunnel Freight Services
28. Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his French counterpart about the importance of keeping the channel tunnel open to freight services. [54396]
Peter Hain: We have been meeting intensively with the French at ministerial and senior official level in recent months with the aim of resolving these issues and are continuing these discussions with the new French Government. I spoke to the French Ambassador on 8 May to reinforce our concerns.
Gujarat
30. Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent disturbances in the Indian state of Gujarat. [54399]
Mr. Bradshaw: We remain very concerned by the communal violence in Gujarat, and especially by recent reports that the scale of the violence was much worse than originally thought. We have been in close and regular contact on this issue with the Government of India, who have strongly condemned the violence in Gujarat, and have given assurances, which we welcome, that they will take action to bring to justice the perpetrators of the attacks.
33. Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on assistance provided to UK citizens affected by the Gujarat riots. [54402]
Mr. Bradshaw: We remained in close contact with the Indian authorities, who were responsible for the safety of British nationals, during the riots.
We immediately impressed upon the Indian authorities the need to protect British nationals, both in the cities and outlying areas. A number of requests made for assistance by British nationals were answered by the authorities, who offered escorts for those stranded.
A 24 hour emergency number was made available at our deputy high commission in Mumbai offering advice and assistance.
Our travel advice was also amended to report on the crisis as it developed.
The deputy high commission maintained and added to their list of all British nationals who had registered with them. This was added to by names supplied from communities in the UK. Our staff in Mumbai did all they could to assist those in difficulty, and to seek information on those reported as missing.
Euro
31. Mr. Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Sweden regarding entry into the euro. [54400]
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Peter Hain: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no recent discussions with Sweden regarding entry to the euro.
Sudan
35. Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Sudan. [54404]
Mr. MacShane: We remain deeply concerned about the situation in Sudan but believe that 2002 offers a real window of opportunity for peace and that the UK has a major role to play in ensuring that this opportunity is seized. There has been some recent progress, for example in the Nuba mountains where a ceasefire appears to be holding.
India
37. Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the United Kingdom's trade relationship with India. [54406]
Mr. MacShane: The UK's trade relationship with India is a high priority for this Government. It is highlighted by a key element of the New Delhi Declaration, which was signed by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and the Indian Prime Minister during his visit to India in January.
An important part of this relationship is the Indo British Partnership (IBP), which was created in 1993. Since it's inception, total bilateral trade in goods and services has grown by almost 70 per cent. and now stands at close to £5 billion per annum. Over 1,600 joint ventures have been signed.
The UK is India's largest trading partner in Europe and its second largest trading partner in the world (after the US). In 2000 (the last year for which complete figures are available) the UK accounted for over 6 per cent. of India's total foreign trade.
Trade Partners UK has a detailed business plan for further developing the trade relations with India.
Lockerbie
38. Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the report commissioned by the UN Secretary General on the appeal proceedings at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands (Lockerbie Court) in the case of Abdelbaset Ali Mohammed al-Megrahi v. HM Advocate by Professor Hans Koechler, on the basis of Security Council resolution 1192/1998. [54407]
Mr. Bradshaw: The UN Secretary-General did not commission the report from Professor Koechler. Professor Koechler's report was written on behalf of the International Progress Organisation. His assertion that the Lockerbie appeal verdict was "not a victory for justice" impugns the Scottish legal system which gave al-Megrahi a trial that met the highest standards of fairness. The Lockerbie trial demonstrated the crucial role of the criminal justice system in responding to terrorism.
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Jenin
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role the United Kingdom is playing in seeking to investigate the deaths at Jenin. [54401]
Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary was one of the first to call for an independent inquiry into what happened in Jenin. The UK played a leading role in the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1405, which asked the Secretary-General to deploy a Fact-Finding Mission into Jenin. We deplore the failure of the Israeli Government to co-operate with the UN to allow the deployment of the fact-finding team.
The UK supported the paragraph in a UN General Assembly Resolution which requested that the Secretary- General present a report, drawing on the available resources and information, on the recent events that took place in Jenin and in other Palestinian cities.
Civil Service (Recruitment)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what percentage of his staff on the senior management system grade were educated at (a) public school, (b) Oxford university and (c) Cambridge university in each year since 1997; [50567]
- (2) what percentage of (a) ambassadors and (b) high commissioners were educated at (i) public school, (ii) Oxford university and (iii) Cambridge university in each year since 1997. [50570]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 22 April 2002]: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's manpower system does hold some data on education details, but they are currently incomplete. We are about to survey staff on education details and I will write to my hon. Friend with the information he has requested as soon as possible. We hope to complete this exercise in about three months.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Mr. Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the reasons for the removal from office of Mr. Jose Bustani, formerly Director General of the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons. [53023]
Mr. Bradshaw: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) on 8 May 2002, Official Report, column 240–41W.
Dr. Khalil Suleiman
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning the death of Dr. Khalil Suleiman in Jenin on 4 March; what assessment he has made of the cause of death of Dr. Khalil Suleiman; and if he will make a statement. [55158]
Mr. Bradshaw: We greatly regret the death of Dr. Suleiman who was the well-respected Director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society's ambulance service.
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We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities about the need to allow ambulance workers to go about their business unimpeded and to allow humanitarian access to those in need. We have called on Israel to take all necessary precautions to spare civilians and civilian property.
We do not have confirmation of the exact circumstances surrounding Dr. Suleiman's death and we look to the relevant authorities to investigate them.
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