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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Arms Trade

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is his policy to   seek a legally binding international arms trade treaty. [173278]

Mr. MacShane: The Government's objective is to work through the Transfer Controls Initiative to achieve an international agreement on transfers of small arms and light weapons.

UN Peacekeeping

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the (a) numbers, (b) efficiency and (c) effectiveness of the UN administrative staff in New York charged with planning, launching and overseeing UN peacekeeping missions; and if he will make a statement. [175122]

Mr. Rammell: At the request of the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General requested the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) to evaluate the impact of the recent restructuring of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Their report (A/58/746) was issued on 25 March 2004, and is available on the UN website (www.un.org).

Following the recommendations in the Brahimi report of 2000 on peacekeeping reform, an additional number of posts were agreed for the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The Civilian Police Division was granted the greatest increase, followed by the military division and then the civilian departments. Nearly all of the new posts are now filled. OIOS believe that the quality of personnel recruited has been satisfactory, and argue that reform has enhanced the UN's capacity to tackle complex, multidimensional peacekeeping missions.

We have no reason to disagree with OIOS's assessment. However, in the light of the current surge in   demand for UN peacekeeping, we are closely monitoring the UN's evolving capacity to meet new and existing challenges.
 
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Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for    Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recommendations his Department has made for the reform of the planning and administrative structure of      UN peacekeeping missions; when these recommendations were last revised; what response he has received from (a) UN officials and (b) officials of other member states; and if he will make a statement. [175181]

Mr. Rammell: We have been at the forefront of the   push for the prompt implementation of the recommendations contained in the Brahimi report of July 2000 on peacekeeping reform. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister underlined our commitment at the Millennium Summit 2000. Under the Global Conflict Prevention Pool, run jointly by the FCO, MOD and DfID, we have developed a programme of co-operation and assistance designed to enhance the peacekeeping and peace-building capacity of the UN, and to strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of countries contributing troops and civilian police to UN peacekeeping missions. In addition to bilateral work with the UN and other interested parties, the Government are working multilaterally in the UN and the EU to maintain peacekeeping reform on the international agenda. The Secretary-General's High Level Panel on threats, challenges and change, which we have welcomed, may recommend changes to the peacekeeping structures within the UN. The Panel's report will be published later this year.

World War Two Medals

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will make an exception to the rule preventing UK citizens accepting campaign medals from other countries to enable the British people who served on the Arctic convoy during World War Two to receive the Defence of the Soviet Arctic Region Medal. [170126]

Mr. Straw: The Government are currently considering the possibility of an exception to the rules governing the acceptance and wearing of foreign awards, to enable British veterans who served on Arctic convoys during the Second World War to receive the Russian Defence of the Soviet Arctic Region medal.

Abdullah Ocalan

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which human rights organisations have been allowed to visit Abdullah Ocalan to see what prison conditions he is being held under; what his general state of health is; and if he will make a statement. [174357]

Mr. MacShane: The Council of Europe's Committee for Prevention of Torture has regularly visited Abdullah Ocalan and published its most recent report in February 2004. There have been a number of press reports on Ocalan's health, some of which have been confirmed in our Embassy's contact with Ocalan's lawyers. We note that Ocalan has daily basic health checks from the civilian doctors who attend him. There is also a military doctor on site at all times.
 
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Annan Plan

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for      Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communications his Department is undertaking with the   Greek Cypriots to seek an alternative to the Annan Plan. [174503]

Mr. MacShane: The Government's position continues to be one of support for the UN Secretary General's Plan. We believe that this offers the best possible basis for a settlement. Now is not the time to seek an alternative to the Annan Plan.

We look forward to the UN Secretary General's report on his Good Offices Mission and his thinking on next steps.

Burma

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for      Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Burmese Government regarding Thet Win Aung, who is sentenced to 60 years imprisonment. [174390]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Thet Win Aung is among a large number of political prisoners in Burma. Amnesty International estimate that there are 1,300 to 1,400, many of them prisoners of conscience.

We have repeatedly called on the Burmese regime to release fully all political prisoners and to allow them to play an active role in national reconciliation in Burma. We shall continue to do so. Their plight was most recently raised in April's UK co-sponsored UN Commission on Human Rights resolution.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Burmese regime over the military offensives in (a) northern Karen and (b) Karenni state; and if he will make a statement. [174558]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have not made recent representations on this subject because contacts with the Burmese regime are irregular. However, human rights violations have been highlighted by successive highly critical UK and EU co-sponsored UN Resolutions, most recently at the UN Commission on Human Rights on 21 April 2004. This referred to the violations of human rights suffered in particular by persons belonging to ethnic minorities, women and children, especially in non-ceasefire areas and the situation of the large number of internally displaced persons as well as the flow of refugees to neighbouring countries. It emphasised the obligations of Burma under international law to pursue through dialogue and peaceful means the immediate suspension and permanent end of conflict with all ethnic groups in the country and to conclude a ceasefire agreement with the Karen National Union (KNU). The Burmese regime knows how critical we are of their Human Rights abuses.

We are, however, encouraged by the recent verbal ceasefire agreement between the regime and the KNU and hope that this will lead to a lasting peace settlement.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to urge the European Union to strengthen sanctions against Burma in response to the atrocities against the Karen, Karenni and Shan peoples by the Burmese military. [174559]

 
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Mr. Mike O'Brien: The UK and its European partners follow events in Burma closely. We remain willing to support a genuine process of national reconciliation, leading to the restoration of democracy and full respect for human rights in Burma.

We share the view of a number of international partners that the best interests of all the people of Burma continue to be served by targeted measures against those responsible for the obstruction of reform and progress, together with humanitarian support to ensure that the ordinary people of Burma do not suffer as a result of the damaging policies of their government.

EU Foreign Ministers agreed on 26 April 2004 to maintain the Common Position on Burma for a further 12 months. We believe that this will maintain pressure on the regime. We are closely monitoring the National Convention process and stand ready to respond proportionately to future developments in Burma, positive or negative.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to recognise the actions taken by the Burmese military against the (a) Karen, (b) Karenni and (c) Shan peoples as (i) war crimes and (ii) crimes against humanity. [174560]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The British Government is one of the strongest critics of the Burmese regime's abuses of human rights. We are aware of a consistent pattern of serious violations over many years, particularly against the ethnic groups. These have been highlighted in successive EU co-sponsored resolutions on Burma in the   United Nations General Assembly and UK co-sponsored resolutions in the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. But we do not consider that the atrocities constitute "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity", which have specific definitions under international law. Nor does the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma. Professor Sergio Pinheiro, who has regular access to Burma, used these terms to describe the situation there.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to raise the Burmese military actions against the Karen, Karenni and Shan peoples at the UN Security Council. [174561]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have raised our concerns about the security situation in Burma and the resulting human rights violations with our Security Council Partners. However, there is no consensus at present to bring Burma before the Security Council.

Atrocities against ethnic groups in Burma have been   highlighted in successive EU co-sponsored UN Resolutions on Burma, most recently at the UN Commission on Human Rights on 21 April 2004.

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on relationships with the military Government in Burma; and if he will make a statement. [175171]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have full diplomatic relations with Burma and continue to press the military regime to enter into a substantive and genuine dialogue with all political parties and ethnic groups in Burma leading to national reconciliation, democratisation and full respect
 
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for human rights. We fully respect the decision of the National League for Democracy (NLD) not to participate in the constitutional convention which opened in Rangoon on 17 May 2004 and urge the regime to reconsider the NLD's reasonable requests. We have repeatedly called on the regime to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD's Vice Chairman U Tin Oo from house arrest, to release all political prisoners, and to re-open all NLD offices in Burma.

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