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Iraq

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Governments of (a) Syria, (b) Iran and (c) Jordan on insurgency in Iraq. [217187]

Mr. Rammell: Ministers and officials frequently discuss the situation in Iraq with the Syrian, Jordanian, and Iranian authorities. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised this issue with Syrian Foreign Minister Shara'a in October 2004 and our ambassador in Damascus raises it on a regular basis. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean discussed the situation in Iraq with King Abdullah of Jordan in October 2004 and February 2005 respectively. The Foreign Secretary met with Hassan Rouhani, Secretary General of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council on 13 December 2004 and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Director-General John Sawers met with Foreign Minister Kharrazi and other senior figures in Iran's Government on 2 February 2005.
 
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Israel

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the likelihood of the Israeli Government's budget being approved by the Knesset before 31 March; and if he will make a statement. [216704]

Mr. Rammell: This is a matter for the Israeli Government.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom regarding Shalom's announced plan to campaign for a national referendum on the proposed pull out of Israeli forces from the occupied territories; what assessment his Department has made of the impact of this plan on the (a) viability of the proposal and (b) perception such proposals foster of the Israeli Government among (i) Palestinian officials, (ii) the Palestinian public and (iii) the Israeli public; and if he will make a statement. [216705]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last discussed the disengagement plan with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom during his visit to Israel on 24 November 2004. The Government of Israel do not plan to hold a referendum on the disengagement plan. The debate on whether a referendum should be held is an internal Israeli political matter.

We welcome Prime Minister Sharon's plan to withdraw all settlements from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. We would like to see any withdrawal take place as soon as possible and be as complete as possible. We see the withdrawal of Israeli troops and dismantling of settlements as a step towards implementing the Roadmap.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of Israel's opening of the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza; what assessment his Department has made of the (a) social and (b) economic impact this will have on (i) the Palestinian workers, (ii) the local community and (iii) the community in the Gaza strip as a whole; and if he will make a statement. [216706]

Mr. Rammell: We welcome the announcement by Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz on 10 February that 1,000 Palestinian workers will be permitted to go through the Erez crossing from Gaza into the Erez industrial zone and Israel.

We have not made a detailed assessment of the impact of Israel's opening of the Erez crossing. We are, however, concerned about the humanitarian and economic consequences of closures and curfews, which restrict the free movement of people and essential supplies between the Occupied Territories and Israel and other countries, as well as within the Occupied Territories themselves. We would like to see the easing of these restrictions continue, notwithstanding further terrorist or suicide attacks at or near the crossing.
 
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Middle East

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the factors that might result in a breakdown of the ceasefire announced by Israel and the Palestinian Authority on 8 February in Sharm al-Sheikh; and if he will make a statement. [216323]

Mr. Rammell: We welcome the announcement of a ceasefire made by Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas at the Sharm-el-Sheikh summit on 8 February. A mutual agreement to end four years of violence is a great step forward. It is critical that both sides stick to their commitments as this will be the best way of achieving long-term stability and enabling a return to the Roadmap. We call upon militant groups not to undermine the efforts made by the Israeli and Palestinian leadership.

We have not made any specific assessment of the dangers that might result in a breakdown of the ceasefire.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian talks in Sharm el Sheikh on 8 February 2005; and if he will make a statement. [216382]

Mr. Rammell: We welcome the declarations made at the Sharm al-Sheikh summit hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on 8 February 2005. The agreement by Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas to end four years of violence is excellent news. We welcome both sides' affirmation of their commitment to the Roadmap and to the vision of a two state solution. We are committed to helping both sides in their efforts to escape the cycle of violence that has marked recent years and get back to the Roadmap.

North Korea

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the nuclear weapons capability of North Korea; and if he will make a statement. [216905]

Mr. Straw [holding answer 23 February 2005]: The Government have, for some time, had serious concerns about the nuclear programme and nuclear weapons ambitions of the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). We take every opportunity to raise these concerns in our dealings with the DPRK Government.

The Government assesses that the DPRK extracted sufficient plutonium in the early 1990s for up to two nuclear warheads and that it has the technical capability to weaponise this material. Since then, the DPRK claims to have extracted enough plutonium from its stock of fuel rods to manufacture several additional nuclear warheads. We also believe the DPRK is pursuing efforts towards production of highly enriched uranium.

We urge the government of the DPRK to resume its engagement in the six-party talks, which aim to address and resolve the concerns of the international community about DPRK's nuclear programmes.
 
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Parliamentary Questions

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will provide a substantive answer to the Question from the hon. Member for North Tayside tabled on 6 December 2004, ref. 203691. [217967]

Mr. MacShane: I replied on 21 February 2005.

Presidency of the European Communities

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on planned (a) commemorative (i) coins and (ii) stamps and (b) other commemorative items in the context of the UK presidency of the European Communities. [216047]

Mr. MacShane: Her Majesty's Government are not planning to produce coins, stamps or other commemorative items in the context of the UK presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2005.

Publicity

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total expenditure by his Department on (a) advertising and (b) advertising and publicity was in (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98 and (iii) 2003–04; and what the estimate of cost of each will be in (A) 2004–05, (B) 2005–06, (C) 2006–07 and (D) 2007–08. [211662]

Mr. Alexander: Our records show that the total expenditure on advertising in 2003–04 was £632,777.

The total projected spend for 2004–05 is £671,264.

Total expenditure on publicity in 2003–04 was £559,000 and projected publicity expenditure in 2004–05 is £1.273 million.

Budgets for 2005–06 have not yet been agreed, but we expect our expenditure on advertising to be at a similar level to the present financial year. It is too early to project spending levels beyond the next financial year.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) overseas posts and its non- departmental public bodies also incur advertising/publicity costs. Information about these costs could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The FCO's records of expenditure on advertising/publicity for the financial years 1996–97 and 1997–98 are not held centrally. Figures for these years could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

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