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EU (Official Languages)

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations he has made to the EU concerning the adoption of Turkish as an official EU language; and if he will make a statement; [R] [12320]

(2) whether Turkish will be an official language of the EU after Turkey accedes to the EU; and if he will make a statement. [R] [123208]

Mr. MacShane: The UK strongly supports Turkey's EU candidacy. Whether Turkish would become an official language of the EU after Turkey's accession would depend on the terms under which Turkey acceded.

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George Orwell

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many documents have been withheld from the file at the Public Record Office known as FO 1110/189 regarding a meeting between the Information Research Department of the Foreign Office and George Orwell; for what reason each of these documents has been withheld; and if he will release the documents to the Public Record Office. [123017]

Mr. Straw: One document has been withheld from FO 1110/189. It has been cleared for release and should be available at The National Archives in August. The document in question is the original of the list, published by the Guardian on 21 June, containing names of 38 alleged crypto-communists sent to the FCO by George Orwell in 1949. It was withheld from release in 1996 partly to respect the confidentiality under which it was given in 1949 and partly because a number of those named were still alive.

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he plans to take if British-built military equipment is being used to repress the people of Aceh. [122900]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I visited Indonesia from 3–4 June and raised the issue of the use of British-supplied military equipment with senior members of the Indonesian Government, including President Megawati. I reminded the Indonesian Government of their assurances that they would not use British built military equipment offensively or in violation of human rights, and warned them of the possible consequences for defence sales and our defence relationship if there was a breach of such assurances. I also took the opportunity to urge the Indonesian Government to ensure that its armed forces respect human rights and act in accordance with international law.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures Her Majesty's Government is taking to monitor the nature of the use of Scorpion tanks and other British-built military equipment in Aceh. [122910]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Our embassy in Jakarta receives information from as wide a range of sources as possible, as well as from the Government. These include international agencies, NGOs, other observers and the media.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the nature of the Indonesian Government's use of British-built Scorpion tanks in Aceh in recent weeks. [122911]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Indonesian Government announced on 23 June the deployment of 36 British-built Scorpion vehicles to Aceh to defend roads against attack by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

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Our embassy in Jakarta spoke to senior military contacts and reminded them of the assurances that British-built military equipment should not be used offensively or to violate human rights. We are actively monitoring compliance with these assurances, with care.

Iraq

Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress with the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. [116956]

Mr. MacShane: The Coalition is investing considerable effort in the search for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Coalition forces are actively pursuing sites, documentation and personnel associated with Iraq's WMD programmes. The US, UK and Australia have deployed specialist personnel to carry out this task, and more will follow.

The search process itself is painstaking and detailed; we want to establish the truth beyond doubt. Given Iraq's emphasis on concealment, it is hardly surprising that concrete evidence has not yet come to light. But the search is continuing and we remain confident that evidence of Iraq's secret WMD programmes will be uncovered.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken to ensure that (a) the United Nations is consulted with regard to the implementation of justice in Iraq and (b) the UN will continue to work in partnership with a new Iraqi administration. [118973]

Mr. Rammell: In accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1483 Coalition partners have established regular and close dialogue on a range of issues with UN Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, since he arrived in Iraq on 2 June. Since his arrival Vieira de Mello has participated in Coalition meetings with Iraqi groups and pursued his own contacts with Iraqis.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 10 June 2003, Official Report, column 793W, when the UK Government gave the IAEA the information upon which it based its assessment that Iraq sought to procure substantial quantities of uranium from Africa. [121588]

Mr. MacShane: The UK Government did not pass to the IAEA any information on Iraqi attempts to procure uranium.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what ways Iraq failed to make a complete disclosure on its weapons of mass destruction capability in response to UN Security Council Resolution 1441. [122505]

Mr. MacShane: In his reports to the UN Security Council on 14 December 2002 and 9 January 2003, the Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC clearly stated that the declaration provided by Iraq in December 2002 failed to provide any satisfactory answers to the outstanding disarmament issues raised by the final report of UNSCOM's Executive Chairman produced in February 1999.

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Pakistan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on recent attacks on Christians in Pakistan. [122557]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We are very concerned about the attacks on Christians in Pakistan. In the last 12 months, we have received reports of four attacks on Christian institutions, which have claimed 20 lives. The latest attack was on 25 December 2002. The EU made clear its concerns on this and other human rights issues to the Pakistan authorities on 7 February 2003 and again on 23 June 2003. We will continue to urge Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of such attacks to justice and to pursue laws and practices to protect Christians and other religious minorities against discrimination, intimidation and attacks.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Pakistan authorities on that Government's recent human rights record, with specific reference to employer treatment of domestic servants. [122558]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: With our EU partners, we regularly engage the Pakistan authorities on Human Right issues. On 7 February 2003 the EU delivered a comprehensive demarche underlining its concerns on a wide range of human rights-related issues, including on specific individual cases. These concerns were reiterated on 23 June 2003. We have not had cause to raise the issue of domestic servants with the Pakistan authorities as no concrete evidence of human rights violations in this area has been presented to us.

Sudan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) the interception of the ship in Greek waters which was carrying explosives and (b) the response of the Government of Sudan. [122476]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 30 June 2003]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Mr. Dawson) today (UIN 122706).

Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the reports of the discovery, by Greek authorities, of large amounts of explosives on a ship heading for Sudan. [122706]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 30 June 2003]: The Greek authorities intercepted a ship carrying explosives destined for Sudan on 22 June. The explosives were being imported by the Sudanese Integrated Chemicals and Development Company, a cement business with a legitimate use for explosives. On 24 June, the Tunisian Interior Minister stated that the Tunisian exporter was genuine and respectable and had produced industrial explosives for Tunisia and for export for over half a century. The ship is still being held in Greece. An investigation into the incident is being led by the Greek coastguard. Two Prosecutors have been appointed to the case.

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