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Nagorno-Karabakh

Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the terms of reference of the UK-funded project to improve the prospects for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. [137481]

Mr. Rammell: The UK will be funding a £2 million three year project aiming to improve the prospects for a permanent settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The purpose of the project will be to improve understanding of the conflict among all stakeholders, to

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improve the conflict sensitivity of national and international actors in the region and to implement a number of activities which will contribute to the development of constituencies for peace in the region. This should improve the prospects for a permanent settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. We shall continue to encourage the governments of both Azerbaijan and Armenia to look to the future and build a better relationship between their two countries.

Our policy on the Nagorno Karabakh dispute is that we will support any mechanism for its resolution which both parties can accept and which has a realistic chance of delivering a lasting political settlement. We continue to support the work of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Northern Cyprus

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the conduct of the election in Northern Cyprus with particular reference to (a) legal action against the media, with reference to the cases of (i) Murat Kanatli, (ii) Basaran Duzgun, (iii) Hasan Hasturer, (iv) Suleyman Erguclu, (v) Hasan Kahvecioglu and (vi) Mehmet Davuleu, (b) the recent incidents involving the Peace and Democracy Movement, (c) the television interview by Mr. Denktash in which he claimed that Turkish Cypriots would be raped by Greek Cypriots, (d) the protest at Doganci (Elye) on 25 March and (e) the extent to which citizenship is being extended to settlers from mainland Turkey. [138777]

Mr. MacShane: The elections in north Cyprus on 14 December are of pivotal importance to the future of the island. This is an important opportunity for Turkish Cypriots to decide their own future. It is essential that these elections should be conducted in a transparent and democratic manner, free from interference. We are calling on all those who have influence, including Turkey, to help ensure the elections in the north are free and fair. We welcome indications from the Turkish Government of the importance they attach to this.

With regard to legal action against the media, we are deeply concerned about any attempts to limit press freedom. On the particular cases raised, we condemn the physical attack on the journalist Murat Kanatli, reportedly by the 'Grey Wolves' group in north Cyprus. The five further journalists mentioned were charged with a range of offences, including insulting the Turkish Security Forces and undermining the "state". These charges relate to articles reporting events at Doganci (Elye) on 25 March 2003, when opposition parties and pro-solution forces tried to hold a symbolic referendum in support of the Annan Plan. The police raided the protest, an army contingent removed the "ballot box" and the organisers were arrested. The timing of these prosecutions (seven months after the event) adds weight to the assertion that the indictments are politically motivated. Furthermore, we are concerned by reports that a number of these cases will be tried in a military court.

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On the recent incidents involving the Peace and Democracy movement, we are concerned about reports of attacks on their party headquarters.

We do not wish to offer detailed comments on the remarks attributed to Mr Denktash. If he did say such things, it was clearly intended to be inflammatory.

We continue to have concerns about the number of "settlers" who have recently been granted citizenship in north Cyprus. The fact that this took place in such numbers immediately before an election is undermining confidence in the electoral process. The opposition in northern Cyprus has applied to the "Higher Electoral Council" (YSK) for an injunction barring those who have become citizens since the municipal elections in June 2002 from voting in the elections on 14 December. We await a ruling on that particular issue. The Turkish Cypriot courts have already barred two hundred people from voting in the elections who had been granted citizenship by the "Council of Ministers".

We will continue to monitor the situation in Cyprus very closely in the build up to elections on 14 December.

Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; and if he will make a statement. [136700]

Mr. MacShane: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) remains the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and receives the wholehearted support of the UK and the vast majority of the international community—indeed it has the greatest membership of any arms control treaty.

The NPT currently faces a number of challenges. It is not yet universal, and the UK continues to urge Israel, India and Pakistan to accede to the Treaty as non-nuclear weapon states. We are also concerned about North Korea's admission of a uranium enrichment programme and its announced intention to withdraw from the Treaty. This issue can only be resolved by DPRK's strict compliance with the NPT and full implementation of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

The NPT has survived many challenges in its 33-year history and it remains a strong Treaty. The UK looks forward to participating fully in the 2004 NPT Preparatory Committee and the Review Conference in 2005.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to affirm negative security assurances given at the 1995 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference; and if he will make a statement. [136701]

Mr. MacShane: The UK remains fully committed to the negative security assurance we gave in 1995. This negative security assurance was noted by the UN Security Council in its Resolution 984.

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Pakistan

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the Pakistan authorities in respect of recent security operations involving their premises; and if he will make a statement. [138583]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 13 November 2003]: The Pakistani authorities have raised with us both in London and in Islamabad the contents of an article in the Sunday Times on 2 November. We have explained that it is the long-standing practice of successive governments not to confirm or deny allegations concerning the activities of the intelligence and security agencies.

People Trafficking

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's estimate is of the number of children that were trafficked in (a) the world, (b) Europe and (c) the UK in each of the last 10 years; and what plans he has to reduce this number. [137978]

Mr. Rammell: We are committed to doing all we can to combat human trafficking. I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Statement made on 5 March 2003, Official Report, column 1085W, by my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Home Office (Beverley Hughes) which sets out the actions we are taking.

The nature of trafficking means that it is a hidden crime and there are no reliable figures about children being trafficked into or out of the UK. There have been a few high profile instances of children being trafficked into and through the UK, but there is insufficient information to say if this is a growing problem. However, the very nature of the crime demands that is treated very seriously, which is why the Government have introduced criminal sanctions covering child traffickers and has tasked the Reflex group with co-ordinating intelligence on the problem.

Performance Monitoring

Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost was of (a) setting, (b) monitoring and (c) measuring the performance targets for his Department in 2002–03; and how many and what grades of civil servants monitor these targets. [137957]

Mr. Rammell: Performance targets for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were agreed as part of Spending Review 2002. The monitoring and measurement of PSA targets forms part of departmental performance management. Performance management is an integral part of the day to day running of the Department, and as such it is not possible to separate the specific costs out. The monitoring of progress towards, and performance against, the Department's PSA targets is undertaken by a wide variety of staff at all levels of the organisation.

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Religious Freedom (Egypt)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise the issue of the Christians arrested in Egypt for their faith with the Egyptian Government and urge them to stop their action against Muslim converts to Christianity. [135500]

Mr. Rammell: We are looking into the reports to which the hon. Member refers. The Egyptian Constitution provides for equal public rights and duties without discrimination on the basis of religion or creed. Although we have received a number of letters on this subject from concerned people in the United Kingdom, we have seen no evidence of systematic official targeting of converts to Christianity. Where there is evidence of violation of human rights, we of course make our views known to the Egyptian authorities.

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