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Botswana

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations he has made to the Government of Botswana regarding the Kalahari Basarwa Bushmen; [192749]

(2) what representations he has received regarding the Kalahari Basarwa Bushmen; and if he will make a statement. [192750]

Mr. Mullin: I discussed the issue of the Basarwa with President Mogae last December when we met at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja. The hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Jones) discussed the Basarwa with me on 26 February.

Through the High Commission in Gaborone we remain in contact with interested members of civil society as well as with the Government of Botswana over the situation of the Kalahari Basarwa.

Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter to him dated 14 September from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Sundus Salman. [192537]

Mr. Mullin: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary replied on 4 October.

Cyprus

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government deemed the paper published by the Republic of Cyprus on 15 March 2004 to contain acceptable proposals for security in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [190445]

Mr. MacShane: There were many proposals from both sides on security issues in the lead up to the final stage of negotiations. The British Government supports the UN's judgment that the final version of the comprehensive settlement plan was a carefully balanced compromise.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since January; and if he will make a statement. [193390]

 
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Mr. Mullin: The peace process remains fragile and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to face considerable political and economic challenges. The Transitional Government in the DRC is gradually extending its authority, and the country is making some progress towards elections, scheduled to be held in June 2005.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the alleged involvement of other African countries in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1998 to 2003; and if he will make a statement. [193391]

Mr. Mullin: The involvement of several African countries during the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between 1998 and 2003 is well documented. Troops from Angola, Burundi, Chad, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe were present in the DRC during this period.

All these countries had withdrawn their troops by June 2003.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the International Rescue Committee's mortality study on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, published on 8 April; and if he will make a statement. [193392]

Mr. Mullin: This report highlighted the terrible human cost of the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We welcomed its recommendations, which were in line with Government efforts to work with the UN and South Africa to install the Congolese Transitional Government in Kinshasa and for all foreign troops to withdraw as agreed in the Lusaka Peace Accord.

The UK continues to play its part in the international effort to bring long-term peace to the DRC.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to help resolve the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement. [193393]

Mr. Mullin: We remain in close contact with regional and international partners on how best to support the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The British ambassador in DRC is a member of the international committee, established as part of the peace agreement, to support the transition process.

The UK supported UN Security Council Resolution 1565, which authorised the deployment of a further 5,900 military personnel to the UN Mission (MONUC), and, we believe, will help improve MONUC's effectiveness, particularly in Eastern DRC. We also support the International Conference on the Great Lakes and the establishment of a Joint Verification Mechanism for the Rwanda/DRC border.

Egypt

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the authorities in Egypt since the explosions in Taba and Nuweiba. [193744]

 
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Mr. Rammell: Immediately after the event my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary condemned the attacks in Taba and Nuweiba and expressed his condolences to the Egyptian Government. A member of the embassy's staff was at the scene of the bomb in Taba within an hour of the attack, and the embassy crisis response team arrived on site early the following morning to offer assistance to British nationals.

The embassy have been in constant touch with the Egyptian authorities since the attacks. Our ambassador has met with all those Ministers responsible for handling the search and rescue effort and investigating the attack. We have offered our co-operation and maintained a close dialogue with the Egyptian authorities.

Eritrea

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of evangelical and pentecostal churches which have been closed down in Eritrea since 21 May 2002. [193581]

Mr. Mullin: Under legislation introduced in May 2002, members of small religious groups cannot meet in their churches unless they have completed a registration process. To date, none have completed this process but the Government are in discussions with some groups (including the evangelical and pentecostal churches) and has not taken any official action against them. However, we remain concerned at reports of the arrest and detention of individuals as a result of their religious beliefs and will continue to raise our concerns at every suitable opportunity.

FCO Arabic Speakers

Mr. Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many fully trained Arabic speakers work for the Foreign Office. [192889]

Mr. Alexander: 108 officers have a current Foreign and Commonwealth Office qualification in Arabic. A number of other officers will take examinations in the next year.

Former Soviet Republics

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with the Governments of (a) Kyrgyzstan, (b) Tajikistan, (c) Uzbekistan and (d) Turkmenistan on illegal trade of radioactive materials produced by the former Soviet Union. [192055]

Mr. MacShane: There have been no recent discussions with the Governments of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan on illegal trade of radioactive materials produced by the former Soviet Union. However, the Government has pledged up to $750 million over 10 years from 2002 to the Global Partnership against the spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction, which aims to secure and make safe the legacy of the former Soviet Union's weapons programme.
 
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Iraq

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contingency preparations have been made by the coalition to provide for refugees that may flee an operation to bring Fallujah back under Iraqi Government control; and if he will make a statement. [193482]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 25 October 2004]: In the case of any military operations in Fallujah this would be a matter for the Iraqi Interim Government (KG) and the Multi-National Force (MNF). The MNF seeks at all times to minimise the impact of any military action on civilians. MNF operations always take into account the likely humanitarian consequences of military operations. In undertaking military operations the MNF and Iraq Security Forces aim to return areas of Iraq to IIG control, providing a normal life to Iraqi civilians, thus creating better conditions for rapid progress on reconstruction and humanitarian efforts.

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) representations he has made to and (b) assurances he has received from the United States that, should they mount an operation to bring Fallujah under Iraqi Government control, there are plans in place to fulfil the Coalition's obligations to civilians affected by the operation under Article 16 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in time of war; and if he will make a statement. [193481]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 25 October 2004]: The UK and US are no longer occupying powers and therefore the 4th Geneva Convention does not apply. Nonetheless, the Multi-National Force (MNF) seeks at all times to minimise the impact of any military action on innocent civilians and, of course, to avoid civilian casualties. The bulk of their duty involves protecting civilians. In undertaking military operations the MNF and Iraq Security Forces aim to return areas of Iraq to Iraqi Interim Government control, providing a normal life to Iraqi civilians, thus creating better conditions for rapid progress on reconstruction and humanitarian efforts.

Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in 2002, (a) a Minister in the Foreign Office and (b) an ambassador indicated to the United States Administration that the UK Government backed regime change in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [193646]

Mr. Alexander [holding answer 25 October 2004]: In 2002, there were numerous discussions and exchanges on Iraq between the US Administration and UK officials, including Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and ambassadors. The basis of our argument throughout that period was that we had to go back to the UN and we had to enforce Iraq's compliance with UN resolutions. We accepted that that might entail regime change, although that was not our objective. We went back to the Security Council in November 2002 to get a further resolution, UNSCR 1441, which
 
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authorised the use of force for this purpose. As a result of Saddam Hussein's persistent and continuing failure to comply with Iraq's UN obligations (which, as the recent Iraq Survey Group report confirms, continued right up until the launch of military action), the Government concluded in March 2003 that it was necessary to use force to remove Saddam Hussein from power in order to secure Iraqi compliance.

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