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Iraq

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the interim administration in Iraq on the Chaldo-Assyrian Christian community; and if he will make a statement. [203943]

Mr. Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Rammell), gave my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice), on 17 November 2004, Official Report, column 1552W.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Pakistan concerning the use of the military and police there to train Iraqi recruits. [204079]

Mr. Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised the matter of training of the Iraqi Security Forces at a meeting with President Musharraf on 6 December at which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary was present. They noted the requirement for continuous training of Iraqi Security Forces.

Israel

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli authorities concerning house demolitions in Anata, Jerusalem and East Jerusalem. [203539]

Mr. Alexander: British Embassy Officials in Tel Aviv raise the issue of house demolitions with the Israeli authorities on a regular basis. We have not made any specific representations recently on Anata and East Jerusalem. However, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, in a meeting with Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom on 24 November, raised the broader issue of disproportionate retaliation by the Israel Defence Forces in response to the terrorist threat.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking at the (a) UN and (b) EU in relation to Israeli (i) house demolition activity and (ii) settlement building. [203540]

Mr. Alexander: On 24 November in the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly in New York, the UK, with all EU partners, voted in favour of a resolution on "Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people", which covered house
 
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demolitions and settlements. We also voted in favour of a resolution on 'Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories'.

Where we have concerns over Israeli actions on human rights we raise these with the Israeli government both bilaterally and through the EU. At the 11 October General Affairs and External Relations Council EU Foreign Ministers condemned "the disproportionate nature of the Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip". The EU has also regularly raised issues of concern, including human rights, at EU/Israel Association Councils. The UK and the EU continue to press the Israeli Government to implement its Roadmap commitments on settlements.

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the (a) Israeli Government and (b) European Union on destruction by Israeli military forces of police stations in the Palestinian territories; and if he will make a statement. [203632]

Mr. Alexander: British embassy officials in Tel Aviv regularly stress the need to allow Palestinian Authority security forces to operate effectively. We have not had any discussions recently on the specific issue of destruction by the Israeli military forces of Palestinian police stations in the Occupied Territories.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Israeli authorities on the recent judgments concerning the legality of the security wall. [203742]

Mr. Alexander: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply the Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Rammell), gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies) on 14 December 2004 (UIN 202938).

Liberia/Cote d'Ivoire

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and Burkina Faso regarding the use of border areas by rebel militia from Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire. [204471]

Mr. Mullin: An Foreign and Commonwealth Office official met the Burkinabe ambassador to London on 10 November, and stressed the need for all Côte d'Ivoire's neighbours to help the international community's efforts to reach a peaceful solution in Côte d'Ivoire, and not to support any military action including by the rebels. We have not discussed the Liberian rebels.

Middle East

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) the Israeli Government and (b) the Palestinian Authority regarding the Palestinian elections. [202937]

Mr. Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Palestinian elections extensively with both the Israeli Government and Palestinian
 
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Authority (PA) during his visit to the region on 24–25 November. The Foreign Secretary was encouraged to find the Palestinian Central Election Commission focused on the challenge of preparing for the Presidential elections on 9 January and working in accordance with the Basic Law. He welcomed Israel's commitment to facilitating the election process, including allowing the necessary freedom of movement of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, to enable elections to take place. The UK is supporting the election process through the EU, which is providing material and technical support as well as an observer mission.

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made of the effect the new Security Wall route will have on the living conditions of Palestinians in the West Bank. [202939]

Mr. Alexander: We note that the new route of the security barrier is intended to reduce the humanitarian damage to Palestinians. 100,000 dunams (25,000 acres) of Palestinian land in the area of the Jerusalem corridor will no longer be enclosed. In addition, the Palestinian residents of the communities of Beit Suriq, Bidu, Beit Anan and Qatana will not be separated from their agricultural land. We do however remain concerned about the impact of the barrier on many thousands of Palestinians, particularly in and around Jerusalem.

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage discussions between the Israeli Government and Palestinian Authority on withdrawal from Gaza. [202941]

Mr. Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary stressed to both sides, during his visit to the region on 24–25 November, the UK's belief that disengagement will deliver better results if it is co-ordinated between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). We support renewed high-level contacts and dialogue between Israel and the PA.

Israeli Prime Minister Sharon has said that he will co-ordinate disengagement with the new Palestinian government. Both Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and Palestinian Liberation Organisation leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) have recently expressed optimism over the prospect of new high level contacts.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to ensure successful Palestinian elections on 9 January 2005. [203841]

Mr. Alexander [holding answer 14 December 2004]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Richard Burden) on 14 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1521–22.

Russell Christopher Anderson

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department is giving to the family of Russell Christopher Anderson of Birmingham in their efforts (a) to discover
 
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the full circumstances of his death in Rhodes on 30 August 2003 and (b) to persuade the Greek authorities to return his body parts to the family or to account for parts they are not able to return. [204025]

Mr. Mullin: Russell Anderson died in Faliraki, Rhodes on 20 August 2003. British Embassy Officials in Athens have closely monitored developments and provided regular updates to Mr. Anderson's family as the case progressed. We raised Mr. Anderson's case with the Greek authorities on a number of occasions during the investigation. The authorities have now completed their inquiries into the circumstances of his death and concluded that he died of natural causes.

Consular staff in Athens have confirmed with the local coroner's office that they continue to hold parts of Mr. Anderson's organs. Under Greek procedures, any request for the return of organs must be made by an International Funeral Director to the Greek authorities. We have explained this to Mr. Anderson's family, who now need to appoint a representative from such a firm to take this forward.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Greek authorities regarding the case of the late Russell Christopher Anderson of Birmingham. [204026]

Mr. Mullin: British embassy officials in Athens have closely monitored developments in Mr. Anderson's case, and provided his family with all the consular assistance they properly can.

We have raised Mr. Anderson's case with the Greek authorities on a number of occasions. This has allowed our consular staff to provide Mr. Anderson's family with regular updates as the case progressed.

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