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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

China

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the British negotiating position was with regard to the recent European Union discussions on the subject of lifting the EU arms embargo to China. [172510]

Mr. Rammell: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr. Simmonds) on 29 March 2004, Official Report, column 1147W.

Clemency Pleas

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on behalf of how many British citizens he has made pleas for clemency, broken down by country, since 1997. [172584]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 11 May 2004]: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not keep statistics on clemency pleas. But I refer the hon. Member to http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/KFile/report2001.pdf for details on our clemency policy, which was amended in 2001.

Correspondence

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter of 12 December 2003, from the hon. Member for Aylesbury, on behalf of Mrs. R. H. of Aylesbury, refs GU100/49991 and CON/6487, acknowledged by UK Visas on 14 January. [166017]

Mr. Mullin: My noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean replied on 4 May.

Green Minister

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what work his Department's Green Minister has undertaken in the last
 
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three months in that capacity; and what meetings his Department's Green Minister has attended in the last 12 months in that capacity; [171806]

(2) if he will list the meetings at which his Department has been present regarding the delivery of sustainable development across Government as co-ordinated by the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers; [171807]

(3) what steps he is taking to promote the delivery of sustainable development within Government; [171808]

(4) what progress has been made with his Department's Sustainable Development Strategy. [171809]

Mr. Rammell: As the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Green Minister, I participate fully in ENV(G) Committee activity. I took part in the launch of the consultation on the new UK Sustainable Development Strategy on 21 April this year. I will attend a Royal Parks presentation and discussion in St. James's Park in June to explore how sustainable development relates to the strengths of Government departments.

I am a member of the cabinet committee of Green Ministers. FCO officials attend pre-ENV(G) meetings co-ordinated by the Sub-Committee of Green Ministers. However, exemption 2 of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information precludes me from divulging the details of cabinet committee business or attendance at meetings. The committee has helped the FCO and other Departments to consider how Government policies can best contribute to sustainable development.

As part of our commitment to Sustainable Development in Government the FCO has implemented an Environmental Management Systems (EMS) across its main London Offices which is certified to environmental standard ISO14001. This covers 78 per cent. of UK based staff and a further 20 per cent. of staff will be covered by an extension to our rural site at Hanslope Park in late 2004. The EMS promotes sustainable development principles in our day-to-day operations. The FCO is working with Defra, DFID and DTI to ensure that international issues are integrated into the new UK Sustainable Development Strategy. The FCO worked with DFID, Defra and DTI to organise a consultation event in New York on the back of the Commission on Sustainable Development 12 on international issues. A further consultation event will be organised in London in July.

The FCO's Strategy (UK International Priorities A Strategy for the FCO, December 2003 Cm 6052) establishes 'sustainable development, underpinned by democracy, good governance and human rights' as one of its eight international priorities.

The Strategy will cover a range of economic, social and environmental issues. It will identify specific actions that the FCO can take through multilateral and bilateral processes and organisations. For example, the strategy will identify how the FCO is working through UN and related international bodies, trade, finance and investment bodies, the EU, G8, the Commonwealth, international partnerships, bilateral action through our posts and programme funds and the UK's Overseas
 
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Territories. The Strategy will also set out how the FCO is managing its Estate sustainably. Country action plans will also be developed in conjunction with posts and other stakeholders. We are working closely with other government departments, external stakeholders including the Sustainable Development Commission. We aim to complete the Strategy by autumn 2004.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Government first indicated that the country of source for the uranium source in Africa by Iraq was Niger. [168284]

Mr. MacShane: The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated in February 2003 that papers passed to the Agency concerning Iraqi attempts to procure uranium from Niger appeared to be forgeries.

The Government made clear at that time that it had further evidence to support the claim made in its September Dossier that Iraq had sought to procure uranium from Africa.

The first direct indication that we believed the source to be Niger was made in oral evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 27 June 2003. The evidence is available on the UK Parliament website at: www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmfaff/813/3062707.htm.

Japan

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will reopen discussions with Japan under Article 26 of the 1951 Peace Treaty; and if he will make a statement on the status of those who were British passport holders in 1945 who have not received compensation payments from the Government. [171392]

Mr. Rammell: This issue is currently under discussion between my Department and the MOD. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Middle East

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Road Map for peace; and what role the Government is playing in the initiative. [171811]

Mr. Rammell: The Government are committed to progress towards peace in the Middle East based on the Quartet's roadmap. We are in close contact with both parties and Quartet members (UN, US, EU and Russia) about the political process. The 4 May Quartet statement sets out a balanced approach to encouraging progress. It closely reflects our views on priorities. Since its publication my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has met his Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian counterparts to discuss next steps.

At a practical level, we are working to help the Palestinian Authority to fulfil its roadmap obligations on security. Although results so far are encouraging, the lack of progress on Phase One of the roadmap, since its publication in April 2003, has been disappointing. Israel
 
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should implement a settlement freeze and remove the settlement outposts erected since March 2001. The Palestinian Authority should undertake sustained, targeted and effective operations against terrorists. Both parties and the international community must work to regain the momentum.

Claire Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) Israeli and (b) Palestinian people to promote a peaceful settlement; and if he will make a statement. [171885]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met both the Israeli Foreign Minister and the Palestinian Foreign Minister on 5 May 2004. The Government are committed to a Quartet roadmap-based peace process. As the Foreign Secretary told both Ministers, both sides need to put an end to violence and take the steps needed to rebuild basic levels of confidence and hope. We are pleased that the Quartet met on 4 May, and welcomed their statement setting out a balanced and constructive way forward. The Quartet reaffirmed the importance of the roadmap, and the need for both parties to meet their obligations under it.

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