---

10 Jan 2005 : Column 8W—continued

Colombia

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Colombia on the killings of (a) Villapon Vega, (b) Antenor Martinez, (c) Mayerli Culnma, (d) Nahoralba Culma and (e) Elkin Conde; and if he will make a statement. [206218]

Mr. Rammell: We have raised the specific cases the honourable Member refers to with the Government of Colombia and await their reply. We will continue to monitor these and other human rights cases that we regularly draw to their attention.

Human rights lie at the heart of our policy towards Colombia. We regularly urge the Colombian Government to implement outstanding recommendations from the annual reports of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. We are working with them and other partners, including the EU, UN and civil society, to help bring about an improvement in Colombia's human rights situation. As part of this process I intend travelling to Colombia early in 2005 for a key meeting of international support to Colombia. This meeting will assess progress on human rights since the London meeting that we hosted in July 2003.

Common Travel Area

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Government of the Irish Republic about the future of the common travel area with reference to the requirement for passport or other identification to be shown at Dublin airport by passengers arriving from London's airports; and if he will make a statement. [207120]

Mr. MacShane: None.
 
10 Jan 2005 : Column 9W
 

Conferences

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many conferences were (a) attended by officials from his Department, (b) cancelled by and (c) facilitated by his Department in each year since 1997; and what the (i) cost to the Department and (ii) location was in each case. [205760]

Mr. Rammell: The details of conferences as requested are not held centrally within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Convention on the Future of Europe

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to insert references to the Minority Report of the Convention on the Future of Europe when official government publications refer in detail to the activities of the Convention; and if he will make a statement. [207259]

Mr. MacShane: HMG's views on the minority report were set out by my right hon Friend the Prime Minister in his statement to the House on 23 June 2003 Official Report, column 707. The report will be referred to in official government publications referring to the activities of the Convention if that is appropriate in the circumstances.

Darfur

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by the Government to increase international monitoring of the security situation in Darfur. [205434]

Mr. Mullin: On 20 October, the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council agreed to expand its monitoring mission in Darfur from less than 500 to more than 3,000 personnel. We fully support this decision. We have committed over £14 million to the African Union for this purpose, from which we have provided significant logistical support, including 143 vehicles. We have also provided military planning expertise to the AU in Addis Ababa and seconded a UK observer to the mission. The UK was also instrumental in securing €92 million in funding from the EU.

Decade of Roma Inclusion

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to prepare for the launch in the UK in 2005 of the European Union Decade of Roma Inclusion. [205311]

Mr. MacShane: The UK is participating actively in the programme of the Decade of Roma Inclusion which was established by eight Central and Eastern European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovakia).

The Government of Hungary hosts its secretariat. An International Steering Committee made up of government representatives, Roma representatives
 
10 Jan 2005 : Column 10W
 
from each participating country, international donors, and other international organisations is in charge of its planning.

The Roma Education Fund to which the Government are planning to contribute £200,000 will be a major part of the programme. There are no current plans for a formal launch by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of this programme.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the role of the commander of the 8th military region in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the current instability in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [206308]

Mr. Mullin: The 8th Military Region, like others, has suffered from problems with command and control, and troop discipline. This has led to instability in the region. The UK has continued to press for army integration so the different elements of the transitional Government can work together in a concerted effort to provide peace and security. A new commander of the 8th Military Region, General Amisi, has just been appointed. We are therefore not yet in a position to assess his role in the current situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of Bizima Karaha's recent reports of inclusion of Interahamwe troops in the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo; what discussions on this (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with (i) members and (ii) representatives of the Government of (A) the Democratic Republic of Congo and (B) Rwanda; and if he will make a statement. [206310]

Mr. Mullin: Following its signature of the Pretoria Agreement, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced that the Ex-FAR/Interahamwe were no longer welcome on its territory. Several thousand still remain. There are reports that Ex-FAR/lnterahamwe forces are formally part of the DRC armed forces but we have no evidence to substantiate this.

We have regularly reminded the DRC Government of the need to deal with the problem of the Ex-FAR/Interahamwe.

We frequently discuss the need for international action to disarm Ex-FAR/Interahamwe at all levels with the Rwandan Government.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of (a) the numbers, (b) the aim and (c) the activities of the Congolese Rally for Democracy; how these have changed since 1998; and if he will make a statement. [206314]

Mr. Mullin: It is not possible to give an accurate indication of the numbers of political and military members of the four movements that emerged from the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD).
 
10 Jan 2005 : Column 11W
 

The largest group, the RCD-Goma, forms part of the Transitional Government, and its President is one of the DRC's four vice-presidents. They have affirmed their commitment to holding elections in the DRC in 2005. So have two of the other factions, the RCD-N and RCD-ML.

The RCD have now registered as a political party. Their troops are now part of the DRC armed forces.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of (a) the number and (b) the activities of Rwandan Hutu rebel forces in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [206315]

Mr. Mullin: The Ex-FAR/Interahamwe are a well-armed force of several thousand. They continue to pose a threat to the security and stability of western Rwanda and menace civilian populations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the (a) command structure and (b) ethnic makeup of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [206316]

Mr. Mullin: The command structure of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo has two central authorities and eleven military regions. While there has been integration at the national and regional headquarter level, army integration has yet to get fully underway.

There are over 400 different ethnic groups within the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many of these groups are represented in the armed forces.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the role of (a) Major Kasongo and (b) Colonel Jules Mutebutsi in the current situation in South Kivu; and if he will make a statement. [206317]

Mr. Mullin: As far as we are aware, neither Major Kasongo nor Colonel Jules Mutebutsi, who has been detained in Rwanda, have any identifiable role in the current situation in South Kivu.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact on stability of the South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo of the replacement of General Nabiolwa with General Mbuza Mabe; and if he will make a statement. [206318]

Mr. Mullin: South Kivu continues to be unstable and troops of the 10th Military Region continue to be accused of abuses against the civilian population. We continue to press the Transitional Government for progress on Security Sector Reform.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of claims by General Laurent Nkunda of atrocities being committed against the
 
10 Jan 2005 : Column 12W
 
Banyamulenge community in Bukavu, South Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [206319]

Mr. Mullin: There have been many acts of violence committed in South Kivu, including against Banyamulenge communities. The UN Peacekeeping Force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) found no evidence of a systematic campaign against the Banyamulenge as Nkunda alleged in June 2004. We are working with groups in South Kivu to promote reconciliation among communities and condemn any attempts to fuel ethnic tensions.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the planned deployment of 10,000 members of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; what assessment his Department has made of the impact such a deployment may have on the stability of the region as a whole; and if he will make a statement. [206323]

Mr. Mullin: The Transitional Government in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is seeking to assert its authority over the whole of its territory. It has announced that further troops are to be sent to North Kivu to help deal with the problem of the Ex-FAR/Interaham we.

The deployment of large numbers of troops into a historically troubled area will require careful handling by the DRC authorities to avoid further fighting between the various factions of the DRC armed forces.

---