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4 Nov 2003 : Column 548W—continued

Ethiopia/Eritrea

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with the generals of (a) Ethiopia and (b) Eritrea concerning the implementation of the decision on the border dispute; and if he will make a statement. [136530]

Mr. Mullin: We have had no direct discussions with generals on either side on this subject. However, the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) Forces Commander has had regular, joint discussions with the military commanders of both sides in the Military Co-ordination Committee (MCC). And we are in close touch with the Governments of both countries.

European Commission Vacancies

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role the UK representative office has in selecting candidates for European Commission vacancies; what guidelines have been issued on this process; and if he will make a statement. [135891]

Mr. MacShane: The European Commission is responsible for selecting candidates for vacancies within its services. Most such vacancies are filled through internal procedures by permanent Commission employees who have been recruited through open competition. For a small number of temporary appointments the Commission inform member states of vacancies and invite them to submit names of potential candidates. A Commission Selection Committee decides on such appointments.

Iraq

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of opening Basra International Airport to non-governmental commercial and passenger flights for (a) trade with and (b) the reconstruction of Iraq. [135361]

Mr. Rammell: Opening Basra airport to commercial aviation would have a positive effect on trade and reconstruction. We intend that the airport should be

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opened to commercial aviation as soon as possible once the relevant security and other requirements have been met.

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the coalition governments have had with Red Crescent officials regarding involvement in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [135598]

Mr. Rammell: The Coalition Provisional Authority has had contacts with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, which is active throughout the country. The Iraqi Red Crescent Society works with the local authorities in the search for, and identification of bodies in, mass graves; contacting families and assisting with burials; basic first aid; ambulance services; and rehabilitation of its four hospitals.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the United States State Department informed the Government of the outcome of the work undertaken by the working groups on the likely political, economic and security situation in a post-invasion Iraq. [135628]

Mr. MacShane: There have been frequent and regular meetings between the Government and members of the United States State Department before, during and after the conflict, at which all aspects of policy in Iraq have been discussed.

Land Mines

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what he is doing to combat the (a) production and (b) export of land mines worldwide. [136477]

Mr. Rammell: The Government considers universalisation of the Ottawa Convention to be the best means of combating the production, use, stockpiling or transfer of anti-personnel land mines. The United Kingdom was among the first states to ratify the Convention and continues to play a leading role in follow-up work, including encouraging the widest possible adherence to the treaty. Through our diplomatic missions overseas we have recently lobbied states not party to the Convention, urging their ratification or accession at the earliest opportunity.

Religious Freedom (Egypt)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise the issue of religious freedom with the Egyptian Government and urge it to permit Muslim converts to Christianity to change their (a) religion and (b) names in their identity papers. [135499]

Mr. Rammell: The British Government is committed to promoting tolerance and mutual respect between religions. Although the majority of people in Egypt are Muslim, there is a large Christian minority who are free to practice their own religion. The Egyptian State upholds Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Egyptian citizens are therefore free to convert to Christianity. The lack of an administrative provision for

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converts to Christianity to change their religious affiliation on their identity cards is a problem. We understand that a suit has been brought in the Egyptian courts to remove this affiliation altogether.

Serbia

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to rebuild the bridges at Novi Sad; and if he will make a statement. [135599]

Mr. MacShane: The 3 bridges destroyed at Novi Sad during the 1999 NATO intervention have been replaced. However, one of these is a temporary pontoon structure, which will be removed on completion of a Euro40 million European-Union funded reconstruction of the 'Sloboda' bridge, due in May 2005. The EU also contributed Euro22 million to the successful clearance of bris and unexploded ordnance from the riverbed, which was completed in June 2003.

Stability Pact

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the European Union's Stability Pact for the Balkans; what projects have been completed; what projects are under way; what stage they are at; when they are estimated to be completed; what projects have been agreed to but have not yet commenced; what projects have been submitted for consideration and are awaiting decision; and which of these relate to Serbia and Montenegro. [135440]

Mr. MacShane: The Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe was established in 1999. It has helped the region address a wide range of issues in support of stabilisation, development and reform. The Stability Pact's activity is divided into three Working Tables: Human Rights and Democratisation (Working Table I); Economic Reconstruction, Development and Cooperation (Working Table II); and Security Issues (Working Table III). The Pact's umbrella currently covers 26 different initiatives. The Pact has six priorities for 2003: Local Democracy and Cross Border Cooperation; Media (both Working Table I): Regional Infrastructure/ Energy; Trade and Investment (both Working Table II); Organised Crime; and Managing and Stabilising Population Movements (both Working Table III).

The Pact has no budget (except for its own Secretariat) with which to fund or implement projects. Its principal function is to act as a conduit for project implementers and donors. It is therefore difficult to provide information on the status of projects profiled under the auspices of the Pact, as these remain owned by the donor(s).

In relation to Serbia and Montenegro (SaM), the Pact has helped with the following items under the six priorities during 2003:

Local Democracy and Cross Border Cooperation



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Further details can be found on the Stability Pact's website (www.stabilitypact.org).

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