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Middle East

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations have been made to the Israeli Government in respect of concluding arrangements for the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes. [167374]

Mr. Rammell: We regularly discuss with the Israeli Government issues relating to the Middle East Peace Process. However, the return of refugees is a final status issue and as such must be agreed by negotiation between the two parties. We continue to urge both the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority to implement their commitments under Phase One of the Roadmap as the best way to get to a negotiated settlement, and to the discussion of such issues which will take place in Phase Three.

Nepal

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 31 March 2004, Official Report, column 1449W, on the gifting of military equipment to Nepal, what the agreed lines were relating to the planned supply of short take-off and landing aircraft to Nepal; and if he will make a statement. [168175]

Mr. Straw: 1 refer the right hon. Gentlemen to the reply I gave on 31 March 2004, Official Report, column 1449W. I expect to make a full statement on the supply of two unarmed STOL aircraft once a final decision is made. A departmental minute is to be laid before the House in the near future.

The agreed lines used by the embassy in Kathmandu in responding to press queries in December 2003 were as follows:

"The UK Government is committed to supporting the Government of Nepal and working to end the suffering of the Nepalese people. One strand of this support is assistance to the Nepalese Security Forces, including the Royal Nepalese Army, in their efforts to combat Maoist aggression. Our non-lethal support aims to enhance RNA capability across a range of military activities.

As part of this support the UK plans to provide two Short Take Off and Landing aircraft to the RNA in 2004. There is still some way to go on this process, which will go through the appropriate Parliamentary channels".

Official Residences

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) cost of and (b) charge for an overnight stay is at each ambassador's and high commissioner's official residence; and what rules and protocols govern the calculation of charges to users. [167243]

 
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Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 22 April 2004]: We have no record of official guests being charged to stay at residences overseas, although they may be invited to leave a small gratuity for the domestic staff. Costs to the Government would be limited to providing meals for the guests and costs such as utilities, laundry, and subsistence where applicable.

Seasonal Agricultural Workers

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many seasonal agricultural workers scheme students are awaiting visa processing from (a) Romania and (b) Bulgaria. [168378]

Mr. Mullin: The figures for the number of entry clearance applications submitted under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme which still await processing in Romania and Bulgaria are:

(a) Romania: 0

(b) Bulgaria: 228

The consideration of all applications under this scheme has been temporarily suspended at our embassies in Bucharest and Sofia since 30 March.

Sudan

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Darfur region and the allegations of acts of genocide committed by the Sudanese Government; and what discussions his Department has held with the (a) Sudanese Government, (b) United Nations and (c) EU on the situation. [166995]

Mr. Mullin: The reports of systematic attacks on civilians, including rape, pillage and destruction of livelihoods in Darfur are alarming. We have for some time been urging the parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians and to respect the principles set down in International Humanitarian Law. We, and the UN, are agreed that what is happening in Darfur cannot, however, be described as genocide.

We have lobbied at the highest levels in Khartoum on Darfur, and are in almost daily contact with the Government of Sudan and the Darfur groups. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) spoke to the Sudanese Foreign Minister about Darfur on 24 March, and since then our ambassador in Khartoum has had a number of discussions with him.

The UN Secretary General and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed Darfur when they met on 15 April. We are in close contact with the UN, both in   New York and in Sudan, on Darfur, and the Department for International Development have provided key personnel to support the UN co-ordination there. We are also working closely with the European Commission and our EU partners on this issue.

A humanitarian ceasefire agreement was signed on 8 April. This is an important step forward in resolving the crisis in Darfur. Work continues on implementation arrangements.
 
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The Maldives

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign   and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet   representatives of the Maldivian Democratic Party. [167275]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no current plans to meet with the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). However, officials in London and at our High Commission in Colombo (accredited to the Maldives) have met representatives of the MDP several times, most recently on 24 March.

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Maldivian nationals are being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. [167276]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: This is a matter for the US Government.

United States Entry Rules

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice is available to UK citizens wishing to travel to the US on the requirements of the US Administration for (a) confidential financial information, (b) availability of visas and (c) grounds for possible deportation. [168251]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: All information about US visa and immigration procedures is available from the US authorities through their London Embassy website: www.usembassy.org.uk or by telephone to their Visa Information Service, details of which are available on the website. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) travel advice for the United States also gives information about some aspects of US immigration procedures of which British citizens should be aware when planning a trip to the US. FCO travel advice is available on the FCO's website: www.fco.gov.uk

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to protect the interests of UK citizens wishing to travel to America, with particular reference to visa requirements. [168256]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has expressed his concerns to US Secretary of State Colin Powell about changes to the US Visa Waiver Programme that are due to come into effect on 26 October 2004. As US legislation stands, all British passports issued after 26 October 2004 will require a biometric for the holder to visit the US visa-free after that date. The UK is committed to introducing biometric passports, but not until end-2005. UK Government officials are also in discussions with the relevant US authorities on this issue. We hope that an extension will be granted to the 26 October 2004 deadline, which would minimise disruption to travellers. It is too early to be able to predict the outcome of these discussions. In the interim, some 400,000 UK citizens planning to visit the US would need visas. Those holding passports issued prior to 26 October 2004, provided that they were machine readable, would continue to be able to travel to the US under the Visa Waiver Programme.
 
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