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North Korea

16. Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to seek a change of nuclear policy by the Government of North Korea. [91799]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a statement to the press deploring North Korea's stated intention to withdraw from the non-proliferation treaty on 10 January and has made representations to the North Korean Government through the Embassy in Pyongyang, in addition to holding regular discussions with key international partners on this issue.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has initiated with his counterparts in the UN Security

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Council concerning the withdrawal of North Korea from the Non-Proliferation Treaty; and if he will make a statement. [91564]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has held bilateral discussions on this issue with a number of UN Security Council (UNSC) colleagues. We also expect the UN Security Council to discuss it.

The Foreign Secretary issued a press statement 10 January expressing his deep concern about North Korea's recent actions. We subsequently delivered a similar message to the North Korean Government through our Embassy in Pyongyang. We also protested to the DPRK chargé d'affairs in London.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to normalise relations with North Korea since establishing diplomatic relations with it. [91565]

Mr. Rammell: Diplomatic relations between the UK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea were established in December 2000, and the British Embassy in Pyongyang opened on 30 July 2001. This established a channel of communication which has allowed us to address the North Korean authorities directly on issues of international concern, such as non-proliferation and human rights.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether North Korea possesses nuclear weapons; and if he will make a statement. [91566]

Mr. Rammell: We have no hard evidence that the North Koreans have produced nuclear weapons, but we assess that they have sufficient fissile material for one or two nuclear weapons, and the technical capability to produce them. In October 2002, North Korean Government officials admitted to the visiting US Assistant Secretary of State, James Kelly, that North Korea had been pursuing a secret uranium enrichment programme. If North Korea begins to re-process the spent fuel rods at Yongbyon, it is possible that they could be used to produce nuclear warheads within a matter of months.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the countries to which missile technology has been exported by North Korea; and if he will make a statement. [91865]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: North Korea is the world's biggest supplier of ballistic missiles and related technology to countries of concern. Missiles are North Korea's most significant export and, by channelling profits back into the programme, an almost self-sustaining missile industry has been developed, supporting the requirements of both the domestic programme and the export market. North Korea has provided No Dong missile technology to Iran and Pakistan, enabling them to acquire their own versions. SCUD technology is also available for export, and has been sold to Iran, Syria, Egypt, Libya, UAE and Yemen. Over the last 15 years North Korea has exported at least 400 missiles

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Israel/Palestine

18. Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has initiated at the United Nations for a new resolution in relation to Israel and Palestine. [91801]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Our immediate priority is the implementation of those resolutions already passed; most recently, Security Council Resolution 1435 of September 2002, which called for a complete cessation of violence, withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian cities and action by the Palestinian Authority to bring those responsible for acts of terror to justice. The UK played a leading role in the adoption of this resolution. There are no plans for a further resolution in the near future, but we remain committed to further Security Council action whenever this might be useful.

Iraq

19. Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to ensure long-term stability in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [91802]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary explained in his written statement of 7 January, our priority is to secure Iraqi compliance with UN Security Council resolutions, including on giving up weapons of mass destruction. We are working to ensure that Iraq becomes, in the Foreign Secretary's words, "a stable, united and law abiding state, within its present borders, co-operating with the international community, no longer posing a threat to its neighbours or to international security, abiding by all its international obligations and providing effective and representative government for its own people."

21. Mr. Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the action the UK Government will take should the UN decide not to take military action against Iraq. [91804]

Mr. Rammell: In the event that there is a material breach, the preference of the British Government is for a second resolution. So far, the UN Security Council has, as Kofi Annan has said, "faced up to its responsibilities". We believe it will continue to do so. But we must reserve our position in the event that it does not.

Mr. Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason the report from Iraq on weapons of mass destruction was not presented in its entirety to the UN. [91514]

Mr. Rammell: Under relevant non-proliferation conventions, China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America are obliged to prevent the dissemination of information relating to the production of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons.

The President of the UN Security Council therefore decided that the full Iraqi declaration should only be given to these members of the Security Council, who

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also have the expertise to assess the risks of proliferation. His decision followed consultations with all members of the Security Council.

The other members received the main body of the Declaration excluding a number of sensitive passages and words that were omitted by UNMOVIC and the IAEA who, after consulting the Security Council members with expertise to assess the risks of proliferation, judged them to contain information that might be of use to potential WMD proliferators.

Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the preliminary findings of UN weapons inspectors about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. [91791]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We maintain regular contact with UNMOVIC and the IAEA about the progress of inspections. Dr. Blix and Dr. El Baradei will be reporting to the UN Security Council on 27 January 2003 Their report is expected to cover in some detail their initial findings and their impressions on the level of co-operation received. We will then be in a position to assess their findings.

Joan Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the work of the weapons inspectors in Iraq. [91800]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We maintain regular contact with UNMOVIC and the IAEA about the progress of inspections. Dr. Blix and Dr. El Baradei will be reporting to the UN Security Council on 27 January. We look forward to receiving their report.

Dr. Blix had a meeting with my right hon. Friend The Prime Minister on Friday at which he told the Prime Minister that, while the inspectors had encountered no direct obstruction in carrying out their task, the onus was on Iraq to be more proactive in their cooperation.

African Great Lakes

20. Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in the African Great Lakes region. [91803]

Mr. Rammell: The situation in the Great Lakes is dominated by the conflicts in DRC and Burundi. Progress has been made in both countries recently, but there are still outstanding issues to be addressed before peace is fully achieved.

Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on UK adherence to the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty; and if he will make a statement. [92339]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABMT) is no longer in force between the US and Russia, and the UK was never a party to it.

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