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Milosevic Trial

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the Milosevic trial at The Hague; and if he will make it his policy to press for the trial to be completed. [184024]

Mr. Rammell: The Prosecution finished presenting its case in the Milosevic trial on 25 February.

The defence stage of the trial began on 5 July. Milosevic wishes to undertake his own defence, but there are concerns about his health. Given these concerns the trial chamber has decided to adjourn until 19 July with a further adjournment from 21 July until 31 August in order to allow the defendant additional time to prepare his case. The trial chamber has indicated it may be necessary to assign defence counsel to assist or represent Milosevic should he be unfit to do so himself. Full details can be found on the ICTY website at http://www.un.org/icty/milosevic/trialc/order-e/040706.htm.

The UK continues to believe it is important that Milosevic, like others indicted by the ICTY, must stand trial for the crimes of which he is accused. We trust the Tribunal will find a fair and satisfactory solution to allow the completion of this trial.

North Cyprus

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Turkish Government on a reduction in the number of Turkish troops based in northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [184132]

Mr. MacShane: Our ambassador in Ankara has a close working relationship with the Turkish Government. During his dialogue with the Turkish Government on the UN Secretary General's settlement plan the issue of Turkish troops was discussed.

Our fundamental goal remains to work for a Cyprus settlement. The Turkish Government gave its full support to the UN Secretary General's settlement plan. This included provision for the phased withdrawal of Turkish troops down to a militarily insignificant level.

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had at his recent meeting in London with the Turkish Cypriot
 
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Prime Minister of the occupied area of northern Cyprus, as to a reduction in the number of Turkish troops based in Northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [184134]

Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I discussed a wide range of issues with Mr. Talat, including Turkish troops in northern Cyprus. Mr. Talat assured us that he would continue to work for a settlement to the Cyprus problem. As my hon. Friend knows, the UN Secretary General's proposals for a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem included a provision for a substantial phased withdrawal of Turkish troops.

It is a matter of regret that those proposals were not accepted by the Greek Cypriots and troops remain. It remains the view of the Government that a comprehensive settlement as set out by the UN Secretary General offers the best means of addressing all aspects of the Cyprus problem, including the presence of Turkish troops.

North Korea

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential threat posed to international security by North Korea. [184023]

Mr. Rammell: We believe that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been pursuing two separate programmes for the production of fissile material, through the enrichment of uranium and the processing of plutonium. We view this as a serious potential threat to international security. We also remain very concerned at the threat to international security posed by DPRK's willingness to transfer ballistic missile technology and systems to other states. We support the objective of the continuing six-party talks: a Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons, and believe that the comprehensive, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons programmes is necessary to assure this objective.

Saddam Hussein

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the United Kingdom was consulted by (a) the United States Administration and (b) the interim Iraqi Government in respect of the arrangements made for the first appearance in court of Saddam Hussein; whether he was made aware in advance that only US media would be permitted in the court for the former President of Iraq's appearance; and whether he plans to consult the interim Iraqi Government over the access to the court by other than US media companies in future hearings of former members of the Iraq Government. [184396]

Mr. Rammell: UK, US and Iraqi officials discussed in advance the media arrangements for the arraignment of Saddam Hussein. The media representatives present in the courtroom were there as a press pool. They included representatives of Al-Jazeera (pan-Arab satellite television) and Al-Iraqiya (Iraqi satellite television).
 
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We have also been consulted on the arrangements for the next court appearance. The Baghdad press corps have themselves selected the proposed media pool.

Terrorism

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance he has issued to British citizens working in countries where there is a high risk of terrorist attacks, concerning their personal safety. [184028]

Mr. MacShane: Travel advice for 217 countries, including those where there is a high threat from terrorism, is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website: www.fco.gov.uk. This provides practical objective, accurate and up-to-date information including on personal safety, so that British nationals can make informed decisions about travelling abroad. Our diplomatic missions also communicate such advice to British expatriates through wardens' networks overseas. In October 2003 the FCO and the Confederation of British Industry launched the Security Information Service for Businesses Overseas (SISBO), which provides British companies with information on political and security risks in overseas markets.

Visas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visas were granted in (a) Romania and (b) Bulgaria between January and July 2004. [183272]

Mr. Mullin: The figures requested are only available for the period from 1 January to 30 June 2004. Between these dates 15,874 visas were issued at our embassy in Bucharest, Romania and 13,496 visas were issued at our embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria.

West Bank/Gaza Strip

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on bilateral relations with the Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [184026]

Mr. Rammell: Through our Consulate-General in Jerusalem and the British Information Service Office in Gaza we conduct discussions with the Palestinian Authority on a range of issues. These crucially include how the UK can support the Palestinian Authority in meeting its obligations under the Roadmap; work with the Palestinian Authority to build its capacity on security is one such example. My noble Friend Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean last visited the Palestinian Authority in January 2004. The Consulate-General offers a full visa and consular service in Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories.

The UK is a significant bilateral donor of development assistance in the Occupied Territories. The Department for International Development has planned expenditure of £16.15 million on assistance to the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian civil society, and a further £12.35 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees in the current financial year.
 
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Zimbabwe

Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had about the (a) political and (b) economic situation in Zimbabwe with other southern African countries. [183336]

Mr. Mullin: We regularly make our views on Zimbabwe clear to southern African countries. Most recently I discussed Zimbabwe with representatives of a number of African leaders during the African Union Summit from 6 to 8 July in Addis Ababa.

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