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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
EU/Israel Trade
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his European Union counterparts the suspension of the EU/Israel trade agreements. [163556]
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Mr. MacShane: The Government do not intend to raise the suspension of the EU/Israel Association Agreement in upcoming discussions with EU counterparts. The Government believe that, as a friend of Israel and the Palestinians, close engagement provides us with the greatest chance of encouraging both sides to take the necessary steps. We do not believe that suspension of the EU/Israel Association Agreement would bring the parties any nearer to a peaceful resolution.
General Affairs and External Relations Council
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the General Affairs and External Relations Council held on 22 March; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement. [163686]
Mr. MacShane: The information is as follows.
Outcome of the 22 March 2004 General Affairs and External Relations Council
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary represented the UK at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) in Brussels on 22 March 2004.
Conclusions were agreed on the strategic partnership for the Middle East, the assassination of Sheikh Yassin, Iran, Western Balkans, UN Commission on Human Rights, Afghanistan, EU military rapid response, EU ACP partnership—water facility, and protection of EU seafarers in third countries—The Tasman Spirit.
Progress of work in other Council configurations
The Council took note of a progress report from the Presidency on work under way in the Council's other configurations (Economic and Financial Affairs; Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs; Competitiveness; Environment; and Education, Youth and Culture).
Preparation for the spring European Council
The GAERC finalised an annotated draft agenda and draft conclusions prepared by the Presidency for the 25–26 March European Council in Brussels.
The European Council will examine a package of measures presented by the Presidency with the aim of giving a renewed impulse to efforts to combat terrorism following the 11 March terrorist attacks in Madrid. It will review the international situation and assess the prospects for progress in the Intergovernmental Conference on the draft EU Constitutional Treaty. The European Council is also expected to agree on the procedure to be followed for preparation of the EU's financial perspective for 2007–13 and (as is customary at spring councils) it will pursue work on the structural reform strategy that it laid down at Lisbon in March 2000.
The GAERC examined a package of measures (prepared by a 19 March Justice and Home Affairs Council) aimed at giving a renewed impulse to efforts to combat terrorism following the 11 March terrorist attacks in Madrid. The GAERC agreed to forward the measures to the European Council for approval.
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External relations session
The Council discussed Kosovo following recent events in the region and adopted Conclusions calling for an immediate and definitive end to the violence and condemning all acts of ethnically motivated violence. There were also Conclusions on Serbia and Montenegro, where the Council expressed readiness to co-operate with the newly formed Government but made clear that further progress towards European Integration is contingent on concrete action to implement political arid economic reforms. And there were short Conclusions on Macedonia's presentation of its application to join the EU.
The Council took stock of preparations for the 17–18 April Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers Meeting (ASEM) at Kildare. It examined how to approach the issue of Burma's request to participate at the fifth ASEM summit at Hanoi on 8–9 October. The Presidency will continue consultations in order to find a solution on this issue.
Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East
The Council welcomed the Presidency's interim report on the Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East and looked forward to the June European Council when it will be able to consider the final article.
Short conclusions condemning the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin were also adopted.
Conclusions were adopted on the Iranian nuclear programme in light of the 8–13 March meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors. The Conclusions called on Iran to comply fully with the provisions set out in 13 March Board of Governors' resolution and welcomed Iran's decision to extend the scope of its suspension of enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.
The Council had a brief discussion on the extension of the EU-Russia Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA) to the new EU member states. The GAERC noted that contacts were ongoing to ensure that the extension was in place by 1 May.
Land Mines
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to promote the Convention on the Prohibition on the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines. [163208]
Mr. Rammell: We are committed to promoting the Convention in the lead up to its first Review Conference in Nairobi at the end of this year. Following a comprehensive lobbying campaign of those states not party to the Convention in 2003, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials will be actively participating in several regional seminars and workshops aimed at promoting the Convention and increasing the number of States Parties. They include events in Vienna, Tokyo and Vilnius.
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We also participate in the informal intersessional meetings of the Convention and are members of both the Universalisation and Mobilisation Contact Groups. A UK official is Chair of the Sponsorship Programme in Geneva, which is vital in facilitating the attendance of heavily mine-affected countries to these meetings.
In addition to mine action funding provided by the Department for International Development, we have provided donations to the Convention's International Support Unit based in Geneva and to Landmine Monitor, an annual international publication produced by the International Campaign To Ban Landmines.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with countries which are not signatories to the Ottawa Convention about their signing up to the Convention. [163404]
Mr. Rammell: The Government considers that the best way of combating the production, use, stockpiling or transfer of anti-personnel landmines is to persuade as many countries as possible to sign the Ottawa Convention. The United Kingdom was among the first states to ratify the Convention and we continue to urge others to do the same. During 2003 we undertook, through our diplomatic missions, a comprehensive lobbying exercise of those states not party to the Convention, urging their ratification or accession at the earliest opportunity. This exercise was part of our activities in the Ottawa Convention's Universalisation Contact Group. We have built on this exercise in 2004 with a more targeted approach and hope to use the various regional events being held in the run up to the Nairobi Review Conference to encourage non-States Parties to sign the Convention.
Council of Europe
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's assessment is of progress made by the Russian Federation in meeting the commitments and obligations it entered into upon accession to the Council of Europe; what his Department's assessment is of areas on which further progress should be made; and if he will make a statement. [163220]
Mr. Rammell: The latest Council of Europe (CoE) Resolution on Russian implementation (1277 of 23 April 2002) acknowledges that progress has been made in many areas, for example, judicial reform, the transfer of pre-trial detention centres to the Ministry of Justice and adoption of the Law on the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights. Progress in other spheres such as the moratorium on the use of the death penalty is welcome, but it remains to be abolished formally and implementation is thus incomplete. The situation has however deteriorated in some areas. In particular, in the level of media freedom and the effect of the State controlled media on the conduct of free and fair elections. I refer the hon. Member to the declaration published by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the Presidential elections in Russia on 17 March 2004.
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We also remain seriously concerned over the situation in Chechnya. The prosecution of those responsible for human rights violations remains limited to a few key cases, while the majority of reported abuses go uninvestigated. There continue to be reports of widespread human rights abuses, including rising numbers of 'disappearances', by federal forces and local militias in Chechnya.
Most legal instruments pertaining to the accession of Russia to the CoE have been signed and ratified. However, Protocol 6 to the European Convention on Human Rights, and The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages have been signed but not ratified. Furthermore, The European Social Charter and The Convention on Transfer of Sentenced Persons have not yet been signed.
We continue to support the CoE in remaining engaged with Russia and to encourage Russia to implement its commitments.
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