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8 Jun 2004 : Column 308W—continued

Sudan

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on incursions by the Janjaweed militia into countries neighbouring Sudan; and what assessment he has made of the Sudanese Government's responsibility for them. [177038]

Mr. Mullin: We are concerned by reports of incursions by the Janjaweed militias into Chad. We are in regular contact with the Sudanese Government about the situation in Darfur. During the visit of the Sudanese Foreign Minister to London on 11 May, my right hon. Friends, the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development, and I made strong representations to the Foreign Minister about Darfur and in particular the need for the Sudanese Government
 
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to act now to rein in the Janjaweed. Whatever the Government's relation to these militias, the Sudanese Government have a responsibility to protect their civilians.

Our Embassy in Khartoum has discussed the conflict in Darfur with the Government of Chad. We have welcomed the role played by the Government of Chad in mediating at the ceasefire talks between the parties to the conflict, and their continued support to the 130,000 Sudanese refugees whom they are currently hosting.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the peace settlement in the Sudan signed at Naivasha; what help the Government intend to offer in relation to maintaining the peace, with particular reference to Abeyei, the Nuba Mountains and the Southern Blue Nile and Darfur; and what assessment he has made of the implications of the peace settlement for the possible implementation of Sharia law in the south of the country. [177443]

Mr. Mullin: We welcomed the signing on 26 May of the latest protocols at the Sudan peace talks at Naivasha. These protocols cover power-sharing, the two areas (Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile) and Abyei, and, together with the previously agreed documents, provide the political framework for a comprehensive peace agreement. We are calling on all parties to continue to work towards the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement can be signed soon. In the expectation of a peace agreement the UK has allocated £35million to Sudan for 2004–05. In addition, we have also allocated £3.5 million from the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool.

In respect of nationally enacted legislation, Sharia law will only apply in the states outside Southern Sudan, as stated in the Machakos Protocol of 20 July 2002.

Despite the progress at the Peace Talks in Naivasha, we remain deeply concerned about the situation in Darfur. We have already committed over £18.2 million in response to the crisis there, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, is currently visiting the region.

Uzbekistan

Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Uzbekistan concerning discrimination faced by Protestant Christians in that country, with particular reference to (a) threats made against members of the Church of Christ by the public prosecutor's office in Nukus in April, (b) the closure by the authorities of the Urgench Baptist Church in Khorezm region in February, (c) attempts to force Murat Abatov to renounce his faith at a state-run farm in the Karakalpakstan region in April and (d) pressure being exerted upon Protestant Christians in Nukus, by the secret police and the regular police, to sign statements admitting they are members of a religious sect. [177455]

Mr. Rammell: We remain concerned by reports of religious intolerance and persecution in Uzbekistan and our Embassy in Tashkent maintains close contact with representatives of religious groups and NGOs. My hon.
 
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Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mike O'Brien) discussed the importance of an open, democratic society where freedom of expression was encouraged with the Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister on 4 February. An EU demarche made to the Uzbek Foreign Minister in April raised the cancellation of a Human Rights Watch Conference on Religious Persecution by the Uzbek Ministry of Justice. We strongly believe that permitting free expression of religious belief is the best means of combating the attractiveness of some of the more radical and extremist ideologies. While we have not made any representations on these individual cases, we have seen reports of discrimination faced by Protestant Christians, as well as other religious minorities, in Uzbekistan and shall continue to raise cases of religious persecution with the Uzbek authorities.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum Seekers

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers families are awaiting removal in (a) Greater London and (b) the UK; and for how long each such family has been awaiting removal. [173875]

Mr. Browne: Information on the number of unsuccessful asylum seekers awaiting removal—or the length of time for which they have been awaiting removal—is not available, partly because some applicants may leave the United Kingdom without informing the Immigration Service.

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which countries (a) are reluctant and (b) refuse to accept the return of failed asylum seekers from the UK. [176289]

Mr. Browne [holding answer 27 May 2004]: When we return failed asylum seekers we do not distinguish them from any other individual with no right to remain in the UK and we do not inform the receiving country that they have claimed asylum.

The vast majority of countries accept the principle of the return of their own nationals from the UK, once nationality has been established. The Chicago Convention obliges signatory nations to accept back those of their own nationals who do not qualify to remain in other States. 188 countries worldwide are signatories (see following list.).

Despite their obligations under the Chicago Convention, Iran for example is reluctant to accept the enforced return of their nationals. We are currently in discussions with the Iranian government to agree an arrangement which will allow us to enforce returns to Iran.

Contracting States to the Chicago convention


 
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Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether China is prepared to receive back failed asylum seekers from the UK. [176290]

Mr. Browne [holding answer 27 May 2004 ]: China is prepared to accept back failed asylum seekers from the UK in principle. However, the Chinese have very strict conditions for re-documenting their nationals to enable repatriation. This issue is at the forefront of our bilateral relations with the Chinese and the my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister underlined the importance of finding a solution to the problem of undocumented returns during his discussions with the Chinese Premier earlier this month. We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese on co-operation on illegal immigration, which will provide a framework to take forward our discussions with the Chinese to improve the system of returning failed asylum seekers as a matter of urgency.

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