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Malaysia

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Malaysian high commissioner concerning the remarks of the Malaysian Prime Minister on 18 October; and if he will make a statement. [134508]

Mr. Mullin: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien) gave to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson) on 28 October 2003, Official Report, columns 186–87W.

Dr. Mahathir's comments about Jews in his speech to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference Summit on 16 October were totally unacceptable. My hon. Friend summoned the Malaysian high commissioner on 17 October, and made our position clear. I said it was particularly regrettable that some welcome messages in Dr. Mahathir's speech—such as negotiation as the right path to peace, and the futility of terrorism—had been overshadowed by these comments.

Nicaragua

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the closure of the British embassy in Managua. [135017]

Mr. Rammell: The British embassy in Managua will close by the end of March 2004. This decision was as a result of budgetary constraints which led us to review how we could maintain our diplomatic presence in Central America in a more cost-effective way. The Government remain committed to maintaining a substantive relationship with Nicaragua. I confirmed this to the Nicaraguan Foreign Minister when he visited London on 23 October. We are seeking agreement for the British ambassador to San José as non-resident

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ambassador to Nicaragua. DFID will retain its presence in Nicaragua and the intention is that their Senior Representative will assume the role of Chargé d'Affaires.

Somalia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the progress of the Somali Peace Conference in Kenya; what assistance his Department has (a) offered and (b) given to the conference; and if he will make a statement. [134720]

Mr. Mullin: Despite a number of difficulties, there have been some positive outcomes to the Somalia reconciliation talks, including a ceasefire agreement and significant dialogue among the parties. The United Kingdom, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, has provided support to the conference running costs, to the African Union ceasefire monitoring process, to satellite broadcasting of the proceedings, and to other facilitation activities. We expect to give further support to enable Somalis to take forward any satisfactory outcome of the conference.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the United Kingdom Government have had since August with representatives of the governments participating in the Somali Peace Conference; what problems have been highlighted (i) to him and (ii) by him; and if he will make a statement. [134721]

Mr. Mullin: I discussed the progress of the reconciliation talks with Foreign Minister Musyoka of Kenya earlier this month. An official from our High Commission in Nairobi contributes by acting as an observer to the conference, undertaking regular discussions with other members of the international community, Somali leaders and representatives of the facilitating "frontline states". The principal recent concern of all international observers has been the need to ensure inclusiveness in the conference. We have been pressing all parties to address this issue.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of the Government of Djibouti regarding its decision of 19 October to withdraw from the Somali Peace Conference in Kenya; what issues were raised by the Government of Djibouti; and if he will make a statement. [134722]

Mr. Mullin: Our First Secretary at the British High Commission in Nairobi responsible for Somali affairs has discussed Djibouti's withdrawal with their envoy to the talks. Their principal concerns about the management of the conference and the lack of inclusiveness of Somali representation there were addressed in Kampala last week during the summit of IGAD, the regional intergovernmental body for the Horn of Africa. I understand that, as a result, Djibouti is reconsidering its position.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of (a) the security situation,

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(b) the political situation and (c) social stability in (i) Somaliland and (ii) the rest of Somalia since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [134717]

Mr. Mullin: Somaliland organised successful local and Presidential elections, in 2002 and 2003 respectively, which have consolidated security and stability in the area. However, in recent weeks there have been three murders of Western expatriates in Somaliland, including most recently on 20 October the murder of two British schoolteachers in the town of Sheikh. We continue to monitor the security situation in Somaliland closely. At present we advise against travel to the Sool and Sanaag regions of Somaliland, and against all travel to other parts of Somalia.

Elsewhere in Somalia the situation remains unsettled without any form of effective Government or prospect of early elections. The area is principally run by armed factions and there is little stability or security.

Turkey

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 16 October 2003, Official Report, column 336W, on Turkey, if he will make a statement on Turkey's plans for the reconstruction of Iraq presented to him on 25 September; what plans had been presented earlier; and how the latest plan differed to the earlier ones. [134426]

Mr. MacShane: Since 25 September, the Turkish Government have agreed in principle to deploy troops to Iraq for a period of one year as a contribution to stability during reconstruction in that country. No final decision on deployment has been made.

UN Arms Embargoes

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) pursuant to his answer of 6 October 2003, Official Report, column 1117W, on UN arms embargoes, whether dialogue still continues on the Berlin-Bonn process; [135108]

(2) on UN arms embargoes, whether the Government have plans to call on Security Council members to restart discussions on the Berlin-Bonn process. [135109]

Mr. MacShane: The Government are committed to the use of sanctions, when necessary, that are appropriately targeted and effectively implemented and enforced. The UK regularly discusses how to improve sanctions measures with other UN member states. We do not, however, plan to call for the Bonn-Berlin process to be re-started as that initiative has concluded and its findings were published in 2001. This document serves as a valuable point of reference, which the Government use when considering the use of arms embargoes and travel and aviation related sanctions.

UN Sanctions

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 6 October 2003, Official Report, column 1118W, on UN sanctions, what discussions the UK has had with other Governments about restarting this initiative. [135112]

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Mr. MacShane: The UK has had no discussion with other Governments about restarting this initiative.

West Bank/Gaza Strip

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of (a) the extent of demolition and destruction of infrastructure in (i) the West Bank and (ii) the Gaza Strip in 2003 and (b) the cost of repair to housing and infrastructure due to damage associated with actions by the Israeli Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement. [134429]

Mr. MacShane: Various agencies, including the World bank and United Nations, do maintain audits of destruction and damage to Palestinian infrastructure resulting from Israel Defence Forces (IDF) action. The Office of the Special Co-ordinator in the Occupied Territories (UNSCO) estimates that 2,986 Palestinian homes have been destroyed, and 29,197 homes partially destroyed or damaged, in the West Bank and Gaza Strip between October 2000 and August 2003. These figures do not take into account the demolition or destruction of other civil and private Palestinian property, or infrastructure, including water supplies, roads and cultivated land. Reliable figures for this year are not yet available. It is also difficult to give an accurate figure for the total cost of repair to Palestinian infrastructure.

Reports by these agencies and other NGOs indicate widespread damage and destruction to Palestinian infrastructure throughout the Occupied Territories. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 29 October 2003, Official Report, column 282W. We have raised our serious concerns with the Government of Israel and will continue to do so.

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