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16 Oct 2002 : Column 854W—continued

Azerbaijan

Mr. Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the UK will continue to uphold the OSCE embargo on the export of weapons and military equipment to Azerbaijan. [74951]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: HMG remains committed to the OSCE arms embargo against both Azerbaijan and Armenia, which we interpret as covering all goods and technology controlled under entries in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 (commonly known as the military list).

In September 2002, the Government approved an export licence application for demining vests for the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Actions.

In January 2002 the Government approved a similar request for protective jackets for demining operations to Azerbaijan.

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The decision was made in accordance with our practice occasionally to make an exemption to our interpretation of the embargo by approving exports of non-lethal military goods to humanitarian, media or peacekeeping organisations where it is clear that the embargo was not intended to prevent those exports and there is a strong humanitarian case for them.

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European Union Events

Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for October; and if he will list the major European Union events for the period between 31 October and April 2003. [75046]

Peter Hain: The information requested is in the table.

Date	Location	Business
	October 2002
1	Brussels	GAERC
2	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
3–4	Brussels	Convention Plenary: Subsidiarity & Legal Personality working group conclusions; interim reports on Charter & National Parliaments working groups
3–4	Brussels	Transport & Telecommunications Council
8	Brussels	ECOFIN
8	Brussels	Employment, Social Policy, Health & Consumer Affairs Council
10	Copenhagen	EU/India Summit
11–12	Nyborg	Internal Market, Consumer Affairs & Industry Meeting (Ministerial Informal)
14	Brussels	Fisheries Council
14–15	Brussels	Justice & Home Affairs & Civil Protection Council
16	Brussels	EU Commission: Annual Report on Candidate Countries
17	Brussels	Environment Council
17	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
20	Luxembourg	EU Trade (Ministers Informal)
21–22	Brussels	General Affairs Council
24–25	Brussels	European Council
28–29	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
28–29	Aalborg	Patent Protection: Ministers & EU Commissioners
28–29	Brussels	Convention plenary: Giscard to release his constitutional text; Charter working group conclusions; preliminary reports on conclusions of Economic Governance and Complementary Competences working groups.
November
4	Brussels	Culture Council
5	Brussels	ECOFIN
6	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
7	Brussels	Health Council
7–8	Brussels	Convention Plenary—Complementary Competences and Economic Governance working group conclusions; preliminary reports on conclusions of Simplification, National Parliaments, Security and Justice working groups.
11–12	Brussels	Education, Youth & Culture Council
14–15	Brussels	Internal Market, Consumer Affairs & Tourism Council
18–19	Brussels	General Affairs & External Relations Council (Defence)
21	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
25–26	Brussels	Budget Meeting
25–26	Brussels	Industry & Energy Council
28	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
28–29	Brussels	Justice and Home Affairs & Civil Protection Council
December
2	Brussels	Meeting On Macro Economic Dialogue (Ministerial Trokia)
3	Brussels	ECOFIN
2–3	Brussels	Employment, Social Policy, Health & Consumer Affairs Council
4	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
5	Brussels	Transport & Telecom Council
6	Brussels	Transport & Telecom Council
9	Brussels	General Affairs Council
10	Brussels	Environment Council
12–15	Copenhagen	European Council
16–17	Brussels	Fisheries Council
19	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
20	Brussels	Justice And Home Affairs & Civil Protection Council
20–21	Brussels	Convention Plenary-External Action and Defence working group conclusions
January
9	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
9	Brussels	Agriculture & Fisheries Council (to be confirmed)
16	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
20	Brussels	EUROGROUP (evening)
20	Brussels	Convention Plenary
20–21	Brussels	Agriculture & Fisheries Council
21	Brussels	ECOFIN
24	Nafplion	Employment Council (Ministerial Informal)
27–28	Brussels	General Affairs & External Relations Council
28	Brussels	EU-ASEAN Ministerial
30	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
February
5	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
6–7	Brussels	Convention Plenary
10–11	Brussels	AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES Council (to be confirmed)
13	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
17	Brussels	EUROGROUP (evening)
18	Brussels	ECOFIN
20	Brussels	EDUCATION, YOUTH & CULTURE Council (to be confirmed)
22	Thessalonika	Energy Council (Ministerial Informal)
24–25	Brussels	General Affairs & External Relations Council Agriculture & Fisheries
26	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
27–28	Brussels	Convention Plenary
27–28	Brussels	Justice & Home Affairs Council
28	Brussels	Employment, Social Policy, Health & Consumer Affairs Council
March
3	Luxembourg	Competitiveness Council
6	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
6	Luxembourg	Employment, Social Policy, Health & Consumer Affairs Council
6	Luxembourg	EUROGROUP (evening)
7	Luxembourg	ECOFIN
7	Luxembourg	Transport, Telecom & Energy Council
13	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
14–15	Athens	(Informal Defence Meeting)
17–18	Brussels	Convention Plenary
17–18	Luxembourg	Agriculture & Fisheries Council
18–19	Luxembourg	General Affairs & External Relations Council
21	Luxembourg	European Council
27	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
27	Veria	Justice and Home Affairs Council (Ministerial Informal)
27–28	Luxembourg	Transport, Telecom & Energy Council)
28	Athens	EU-Rio Group, EU-MERCOSUR
28–29	Veria	Informal Justice & Home Affairs (Veria)
31	Luxembourg	Agriculture & Fisheries Council (to be confirmed)
April
2	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
3–4	Brussels	Convention Plenary
4	Brussels	Justice & Home Affairs
5	Lisbon	Europe—Africa Summit
5	Ioannina	Ministerial Meeting on Education (Informal)
10	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
11–13	Chania	ECOFIN (Informal)
14	Brussels	General Affairs & External Relations
14	Brussels	Agriculture & Fisheries
16	Brussels	Signature Of The Accession (Provisional Date)
23	Brussels	Meeting of the Praesidium
24–25	Brussels	Convention Plenary

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Georgia

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the appointment of a UK Special Representative for Georgia. [74952]

Mr. Straw: I am committed to finding a way to help Georgia become prosperous, stable and able to live in harmony with its neighbours. This is why I am glad to have appointed Sir Brian Fall as the UK's Special Representative for Georgia, with effect from 1 October. In this capacity Sir Brian will also be the UK Senior Representative on the Group of Friends of the UN Secretary General on Georgia. Sir Brian was formerly

16 Oct 2002 : Column 858W

H.M. Ambassador to Moscow (1992–95). His experience of the region and his diplomatic skills will be invaluable in helping him fulfil this role.

Correspondence

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 16 August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mohammad Aamrk Iqbal. [74562]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I am informed that due to an administrative error, my right hon. Friend did not receive a reply to his letter of 16 August. I apologise for this. A reply was sent on 7 October.

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East Timor

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement, with reference to the documents made public by the Australian Government in September 2000, on the attack at Balibo, East Timor on 16 October 1975. [73697]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: In September 2000, the Australian Government published a volume of documents taken from their archives on their relations with East Timor from 1974–76. A number of these documents refer to the deaths of the journalists in the attack on Balibo.

The British Government gave the Australian Government clearance to publish a number of official documents which referred to information obtained from British diplomatic sources.

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