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European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the 2002 European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights projects to (a) campaign against racism in Israel, (b) combat discrimination against Palestinian citizens in Israel, (c) strengthen the Bedouin community in Israel and
 
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(d) provide emergency legal aid for Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli military detention centres in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and what his Department's involvement was in each project; [165206]

(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (a) projects to sponsor masters degrees in Human Rights and Democratisation in 2002 in (i) Palestine, (ii) Lebanon, (iii) Malta, (iv) Libya, (v) Egypt, (vi) Algeria, (vii) Tunisia, (viii) Morocco, (ix) Cyprus, (x) Jordan and (xi) Israel and (b) 2002 projects to promote women's rights in (A) Egypt, (B) Jordan, (C) Lebanon, (D) Gaza and (E) the West Bank; and what his Department's involvement was in each project. [165207]

Mr. Rammell: Decisions about the individual projects funded by the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights are made by the European Commission and local EC Delegations. They are also responsible for managing and evaluating the projects. The EU Committee on Human Rights and Democracy allocated EU budget resources to projects in third countries and is responsible for evaluating the impact of the fund. The UK is represented on the Committee by officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the UK Permanent Representation to the EU.

Palestine

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of movement restrictions in the West Bank on the effectiveness of the EU trade agreement with the territories. [161493]

Mr. MacShane: Restrictions on freedom of movement have made it more difficult for Palestinians to take advantage of the European Communities/Palestinian Liberation Organisation interim Agreement. This has contributed to a deep economic crisis. According to the World Bank, 60 per cent. of Palestinians live on less than the UN poverty threshold of US$2.10 a day. The Government and EU partners regularly call on both sides to implement their roadmap obligations, including the easing of restrictions on the movement of persons and goods.

Bali

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Indonesian authorities regarding terrorism in Bali. [165335]

Mr. MacShane: We are in regular contact with the Indonesian authorities on issues relating to terrorism, including in Bali. Through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Global Opportunities Fund we have provided training in crisis management, aviation security and counter-terrorism legislation. We are also developing a programme of further training for the police. Richard Gozney. then our Ambassador in Jakarta, attended the Bali conference on regional approaches to counter terrorism in February 2004, at which discussions were held further to develop co-operation in counter terrorism. We will continue to work with the Indonesian government against this threat, including through capacity building.
 
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China

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in persuading the Chinese Government to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. [165264]

Mr. Rammell: At the most recent round of the UK China Human Rights Dialogue in November 2003, the Chinese delegation said that the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) would be supported by a recently organised inter-ministerial task force.

I regularly raise ICCPR ratification with Chinese interlocutors and stress that the Government attaches great importance to progress in this area.

Correspondence

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter to him of 11 March from Mrs. Pamela Dix, Secretary of UK Families Flight 103, concerning the criminal investigation into the Lockerbie bombing. [164295]

Mr. MacShane: My noble Friend Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean replied on 8 April 2004.

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter to him from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 24 February 2004 with regard to Dr. S. Crowshaw. [164935]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary replied on 29 March.

Cyprus

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 24 March 2004, Official Report, columns 900–01W, on Cyprus, for what reasons it was not Government policy that the ending of Turkish occupation of Cyprus territory should be a precondition for the opening of Turkey's EU accession negotiations; and if he will make a statement. [165073]

Mr. MacShane: The Copenhagen European Council in 1993 set out the criteria which candidates for EU membership need to satisfy before accession. These demanded that "the candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities, the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union."

The 2003 Accession Partnership between the EU and Turkey called on Turkey to "strongly support efforts to find a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem through the continuation of the United Nations Secretary General's mission of good offices and of negotiations on the basis of his proposals." This Government welcomes the Turkish Government's commitment to finding a settlement on the basis of the UN proposals.
 
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Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his assessment of the implications of the recent attempted coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [165458]

Mr. Mullin: The fighting in Kinshasa in the early hours of 28 March is a reminder of the fragility of the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the need for the international community to remain engaged. We are urging all the groups that make up the transitional government to continue to work together to make the transition a success.

Falkland Islands

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Falkland Islands 200 mile economic zone. [164188]

Mr. Rammell: The Falkland Islands do not have a 200 mile economic zone.

Beyond the territorial sea of the Falkland Islands there is an interim fishery conservation and management zone, the limits of which are defined in a Proclamation by the Governor of 29 October 1986, and an outer fishery conservation zone, the limits of which are defined in Proclamations of 20 December 1990 and 22 August 1994.

The Falkland Islands Government have jurisdiction in respect of fisheries, conservation of living resources and the protection and preservation of the marine environment in these zones. The zones are referred to in the written statement which I made on 29 March 2004, Official Report, columns 81–82WS.

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there have been recent violations by Argentinian vessels of the Falklands Island 200 mile economic zone. [164265]

Mr. Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement that I made on this issue on 29 March 2004, Official Report, columns 81–82WS.

Iraq

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of levels of (a) discrimination against, (b) rape of and (c) torture of Mandaeans in Iraq. [164028]

Mr. Rammell: A small community of around 500 Mandaeans live in Basra, in the UK area of responsibility. They are represented by Sheikh Raad
 
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Gubashi, a Mandaean member of the Interim Council. The CPA office in Basra has not received evidence of discrimination or ill-treatment against them. If any information could be provided we would be willing to investigate.

Discrimination against any Iraqi citizen is forbidden by Article 12 of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL), which was agreed by the Iraqi Governing Council on 8 March. A copy of the TAL has been placed in the Library of the House. The Coalition is working hard with the Iraqis to strengthen the Iraqi security and judiciary sectors, in order to provide security to all Iraqi citizens and safeguard the rights laid out in the TAL.

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence he has collated on the use by the former regime of Saddam Hussein of coercion to force the medical profession to conduct amputations as a form of punishment. [165254]

Mr. Rammell: The practice of the former regime of forcing medical professionals to perform punitive amputations has been well-documented by a number of independent sources including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iraq and by the British Medical Journal. A recent survey of medical professionals carried out in Iraq by Physicians for Human Rights has confirmed the prevalence of such coercion. UK and other Coalition nationals working for the Coalition Provisional Authority Office of Human Rights and Transitional Justice are collecting evidence for possible criminal prosecutions of those who ordered the amputations.

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