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22 Jun 2004 : Column 1329W—continued
Eritrea
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he will make to the Eritrean Government concerning (a) the arrest of Haile Naizgi, Chairman of the Full Gospel Church and Dr. Kifle Gebremeskel, Chairman of the Eritrean Evangelical Alliance, (b) the arrest of Pastor Tesfatsion Hagos of the Rema Evangelical Church, (c) the arrest and incarceration of Helen Berhane and (d) the detention of members of minority Christian churches. [179342]
Mr. Mullin: We raise the issue of religious freedom with the Eritrean Government regularly. I raised the matter with President Isaias in Asmara on 15 January and our charge d'affaires in Asmara raised it most recently on 18 May. We will continue to make clear our concerns.
EU Constitution
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what amendments he has tabled to the Draft EU constitution on (a) the UK's competence in relation to borders and asylum, (b) the EU's competence in taxation matters and (c) the UK's competence in relation to foreign policy. [179485]
Mr. MacShane: Individual member states did not table amendments to the draft EU Constitutional Treaty. Instead, the Italian and subsequently Irish Presidencies of the EU tabled amendments on the basis of discussions with all member states. The new constitutional treaty satisfies the conditions laid down in the White Paper on the Intergovernmental Conference (CM5934).
General Affairs and External Relations Council
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the General Affairs and External Relations Council held on 14 to 15 June; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement. [179780]
Mr. MacShane: The information is as follows:
Outcome of the 14 June 2004 General Affairs and External Relations Council
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I represented the UK at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) in Luxembourg on 14 June 2004.
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Conclusions were agreed on Iraq, Middle East Peace Process, Western Balkans, ESDP, WMD, Afghanistan, European Neighbourhood Policy, Moldova, Sudan, and the Africa/Great Lakes region.
Progress of work in other council configurations
The Council took note of a progress report from the Presidency on work under way in other Council configurations since the last report on 17 May (Education Youth and Culture Council, Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, Agriculture and Fisheries Council).
Preparation for the 17 and 18 June European council
The Council worked on the draft Conclusions for the 17 and 18 June European Council meeting in Brussels. These covered issues such as: EU enlargement; EU financial perspective for the 2007–13 period; and external relations issues, including Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).
Ministers welcomed the medium term strategy on Iraq, which had been prepared jointly by High Representative Solana and the Commission. Partners underlined the need to engage with the new Iraq Authorities as well as with Iraq's neighbours and also stressed the importance of Iraqi ownership of the transition process.
Ministers discussed the issue of ASEM enlargement. The Council agreed that the EU would continue to work closely with its Asian partners to try and secure a decision on enlargement before the 8 to 9 October Hanoi Summit. The Council also agreed to postpone two ASEM senior officials meetings scheduled for this summer.
Partners discussed current plans for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza but debate was limited as more detailed discussion was expected by Heads of Government at the European Council later that week.
The GAERC took place in parallel to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Board of Governors meeting on the Iranian nuclear programme. The Council reiterated earlier calls for Iran to co-operate proactively with the IAEA, with a view to resolving all outstanding concerns in relation to its nuclear programme. Ministers also repeated their full support for the work of the IAEA and for the efforts of its Director General, Dr. El Baradei.
The Council discussed the situation in the Western Balkans, including the first round of the Serbian presidential elections. Conclusions were agreed on Serbia and Montenegro; Kosovo; the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe; and European Partnerships.
The Council approved Conclusions on ESDP, which covered issues such as ESDP support in Africa, the Georgia Rule of Law mission, and preparation for the operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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EU strategy against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
High Representative Solana gave a short summary of work to date and the Council agreed draft Conclusions.
Ministers also discussed the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the situation in Nepal.
Iraq
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Iraqi oil (a) production and (b) exports have been in each month since December 2003; what the average price paid for Iraqi oil exports was in each month; and if he will make a statement. [178942]
Mr. Straw: Information on Iraq's oil production can be found on the CPA website at www.cpa-iraq.org, which produces weekly reconstruction status reports.
Since December 2003 Iraqi oil production has averaged between a high of 2.595 million barrels per day (mbpd) on 16 April and a low of 1.85 mbpd during the period 14 to 20 May 2004. Average production for December 2003 was 1.953 mbpd; January 2004: 2.103 mbpd, and February 2003: 2.004 mbpd.
Average crude oil exports from Iraq for each month since December 2003 to May 2004 are shown in the following table.
| Million barrels per day | |
|---|---|
| December 2003 | 1.541 |
| January 2004 | 1.537 |
| February 2004 | 1.382 |
| March 2004 | 1.825 |
| April 2004 | 1.804 |
| May 2004 | 1.380 |
The Iraqi State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) is the body responsible for the sale of Iraqi oil on the international market. Given the relatively low number of contracts that have been awarded, information on the price paid for Iraqi oil exports has not been released by the SOMO in order to protect commercial confidentiality.
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much Iraqi oil has been sold domestically in Iraq in each month since May 2003; and if he will make a statement. [178943]
Mr. Straw: On average around 0.6 million barrels per day of Iraq's daily oil production is reserved for domestic consumption. This is used for both industrial purposes, for example in Iraq's power stations, and for refining to produce fuel for commercial and domestic use in Iraq.
Pastor Gong Shengliang
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the conditions of imprisonment of Pastor Gong Shengliang in China. [179537]
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Mr. Rammell: We are aware of a recent NGO report on the prison conditions of Pastor Gong and raised our concerns with the Chinese authorities in May. We also supported an EU demarche on this, and other cases, on 17 June. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted our concerns about Pastor Gong but said they had nothing to add to what had been said in the past. The EU previously made a demarche about allegations of mistreatment against Pastor Gong in July last year. The Chinese responded at the time that the allegations were untrue and said that he was in good health, and had been given the proper medicines and treatment for his stomach problems. We plan to petition the Chinese authorities again, with our EU colleagues, within the next few days.
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