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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Middle East

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Israel over the effect of Israeli military action on (a) homes, (b) water supply systems and (c) other infrastructure funded by his Department in the territories governed by the Palestinian Authority. [175141]

Mr. Rammell: The Government are deeply concerned at recent Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in Rafah. We recognise Israel's need to defend itself within international law, but these actions constituted a form of collective punishment and were contrary both to international law and to Israel's commitments under the Roadmap. The UK made representations to the Israeli Embassy and Prime Minister Sharon's office in Tel Aviv.

We have made clear our concerns to the Government of Israel about damage to water sources and the destruction of Palestinian agricultural land caused by Israeli actions. In April we made representations to the Israeli authorities about the destruction of a HMG funded latrine near Hebron. We will continue to do so when such incidents occur.
 
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Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US on Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip. [175040]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary speaks to his US counterpart frequently on a wide range of issues, including the Middle East Peace Process. It is the longstanding practice of successive Governments not to make public the details of discussions with foreign Governments, under exemption 1 (b) of part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning current activity in the Gaza Strip. [175042]

Mr. Rammell: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials made representations to the Israeli Charge in London on 18 May and on 21 May and to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office in Tel Aviv on 18 May, about the impact of the Israel Defence Forces in operations in Rafah. In a press statement on 19 May, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary expressed his profound concern about the deaths of Palestinian civilians demonstrating against house demolitions. Israel must act within international law and refrain from using excessive force and taking actions which amount to collective punishment.

Chad

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad's claim of having captured the Slafist Group for Preaching and Combat's second-in-command, Amari Saifi; and if he will make a statement. [175085]

Mr. Mullin: We are unable to confirm the capture of Amari Saifi.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) his counterpart in Chad, (b) other representatives of the Government of Chad and (c) United Kingdom representatives in Chad concerning the army mutiny of the night of 16th to 17th May; and if he will make a statement. [175110]

Mr. Mullin: The Government has had no discussions with the Government of Chad about the incidents in N'Djamena on 16, 17 and 18 May. The UK is not represented in Chad; it is covered as necessary by our High Commission in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the (a) national and (b) regional security impact of the army mutiny which took place in Chad on the night of 16 to 17May; and if he will make a statement. [175111]

Mr. Mullin: The facts and causes of the incident in N'Djamena on 16, 17 and 18 May remain unclear, and any assessment of the national and regional security impact would be speculative.
 
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Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment of the security impact of the army mutiny which took place in Chad on the night of 16 to 17 May he has received from the United Kingdom representatives in (a) Niger, (b) Nigeria, (c) Cameroon, (d) Central African Republic and (e) Sudan; and if he will make a statement. [175112]

Mr. Mullin: UK representatives in Cameroon, where the UK's Ambassador to Chad resides, are monitoring the situation. The reasons for the incident in N'Djamena on 16, 17 and 18 May remain unclear. We have had no information from UK representatives in Nigeria and Sudan. The UK is not represented in Niger or the Central African Republic.

Correspondence

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the hon. Member for West Worcestershire will receive a response to his letter of 29 March, reference 175680/04. [174748]

Mr. Straw [holding answer of 20 May 2004]: I apologise to the hon. Member for the late reply to his letter. This was the result of an administrative error within the department. I will ensure he receives a reply without further delay.

Cuba

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's (a) policy on and (b) relationship with Cuba. [175148]

Mr. Rammell: UK policy towards Cuba is one of constructive engagement and dialogue, as set out by the EU's Common Position on Cuba which was adopted in 1996. The Common Position states that, "The main objective of the European Union in its relations with Cuba is to encourage a process of peaceful transition to pluralistic democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as improvement in the living standards of the Cuban people." We do not favour isolating Cuba, and have consistently voted against the US Embargo at the United Nations General Assembly.

Following a crackdown on the peaceful opposition in March 2003, the EU—in line with the Common Position—condemned Cuba's actions and adopted a series of measures that reflected our human rights concerns. The Cuban response to these measures was to reject all EU development aid, and to "freeze" contact with EU Embassies in Havana. Nevertheless the UK continues to maintain close co-operation with Cuba in areas as diverse as child protection, migration and law enforcement, and encourages trade, tourism, education, sport, science and cultural links between the two countries. We remain committed to dialogue.

Darfur

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is in relation to the crisis in Darfur; and if he will make a statement. [175841]

 
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Mr. Mullin: We are seriously concerned about the crisis in Darfur. The humanitarian needs are enormous, and civilian protection is a priority. The UN have reported disturbing patterns of massive human rights violations which may constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity. While the UN's report makes no conclusion as to ethnic cleansing, it does note that attacks by Government forces and Janjaweed militia appear to have been largely ethnically based. We, and our EU partners, have made clear that alleged abuses should be thoroughly investigated.

My right hon. Friends, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for International Development, and I registered strongly our concerns with the Sudanese Foreign Minister when he visited London on 11 May. We are calling on the Government of Sudan and the Darfur groups to implement fully the 8 April ceasefire agreement. In particular the Sudanese Government must act now to rein in the Janjaweed, and all parties should co-operate to enable quick deployment of the African Union-led ceasefire monitoring mission. We expect deployment of this mechanism to have a positive effect on civilian protection, and are currently considering a possible UK contribution to it. We hope that a fully-monitored ceasefire and improved humanitarian access will provide a conducive atmosphere for inclusive political talks on the future of Darfur to begin as soon as possible.

On 20 May the Sudanese Foreign Minister announced new measures governing the issue of visas and travel permits to humanitarian workers wishing to travel to Darfur. We hope that these measures will facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to a population in great need. The Department for International Development have already committed over £16.5 million to UN agencies, the Red Cross and operational NGOs in response to the crisis, making the UK the second biggest bilateral donor in Darfur. We have also provided key personnel to support the UN co-ordination effort.

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