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Uganda

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the capacity of Uganda to host the 2007 meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government; and if he will make a statement. [2754]

Ian Pearson: The Commonwealth Secretariat, not the United Kingdom, will assess whether Uganda has the capacity to host the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether entry visas were issued to opposition politicians to attend the London debate on constitutional amendment in Uganda. [2755]

Dr. Howells: I regret that I cannot provide this information as it is not our practice to disclose details of individual entry clearance cases in a public forum.

Uzbekistan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what recent discussions he has had with the government of Uzbekistan regarding the handling of protests in Eastern Andijan on 13 May 2005; [2628]

(2) what recent discussions he has had with the government of Uzbekistan regarding respecting human rights. [2629]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: I am extremely disturbed by the reports of Uzbek troops firing on demonstrators in Andizhan (Andijan). When my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary first heard these reports he urged the Uzbek authorities to allow an independent, international investigation.

We have asked our Ambassador to Tashkent, Mr.David Moran, to convey these messages to senior figures in the Uzbek Government. We also asked Mr.Moran to urge the authorities for unrestricted access to Andizhan for the international community, including organisations like the UN High Commission for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The UK's proactive stance was instrumental in the authorities' decision to organise a
 
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visit to the region on 18 May 2005 by diplomats, members of international organisations and the world's media. Although highly orchestrated by the Uzbek authorities, this visit was an important first step towards securing the necessary transparency into the events of 13–14 May 2005 in Andizhan (Andijan).

Mr. Moran is also working to ensure that the root causes of discontent are addressed through urgent economic and political reform, as he made clear to Deputy Foreign Minister Nematov on 15 May 2005.

In the aftermath of Andizhan (Andijan), we are concerned by reports of the arrest and harassment of eyewitnesses, independent journalists and human rights activists. Mr. Moran conveyed this point in a meeting between EU ambassadors and Foreign Minister Ganiev on 1 June 2005. On 25 May 2005 our embassy delivered a note to the Uzbek authorities, registering our concern at the arrest of Saidjahon Zainabuddinov, the head of the 'appeal' human rights NGO.

We will continue to insist, with our partners in the UN, EU, OSCE and NATO, that the Uzbek Government accept an independent investigation. We shall continue to urge the Uzbek Government to respect their wider international commitments to democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

Western Sahara

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Saharawi people and their representatives following the mass demonstrations of students in ElAyoun. [2593]

Dr. Howells: We are aware of reports of demonstrations in the Western Sahara and continue to monitor the situation. UK officials hold regular discussions with the parties to the Western Sahara dispute. These focus on ensuring that the UN process leads to a fair and lasting solution to this dispute that provides the people of the Western Sahara with an opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Moroccan authorities concerning media access to El Ayoun to cover the recent demonstrations of Saharawi students there. [2594]

Dr. Howells: We are aware of recent reports alleging that some journalists were denied access to Laayoune (El Ayoun) during the recent Saharawi demonstrations and will continue to monitor the situation. There are currently no plans to discuss media access to Laayoune (El Ayoun) with the Moroccan Government.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Arab Maghreb Union to urge them to discuss the Western Sahara issue. [3124]

Dr. Howells: The Arab Maghreb Union recently postponed the summit planned for May 2005. We have no plans to raise the Western Sahara dispute with the Arab Maghreb Union.
 
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John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Moroccan authorities regarding their recent activities in Western Sahara and reports of major human rights abuses. [3397]

Dr. Howells: We are aware of reports of recent clashes between pro-Saharawi demonstrators and the Moroccan authorities in Western Sahara and continue to monitor the situation. We currently have no plans to discuss the situation with the Moroccan Government.

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recent activities of the Moroccan authorities in Western Sahara and whether there have been human rights abuses; what his policy is on how the UN should respond; what assessment he has made of whether the role of the UN's mission to Western Sahara should change; what steps he has taken in response to the activities of the Moroccan authorities; and if he will make a statement. [3398]

Dr. Howells: We are aware of reports of recent clashesbetween pro-Saharawi demonstrators and the Moroccan authorities in Western Sahara and continue to monitor the situation. The Government believe UN efforts to find a solution to the dispute should be maintained and will continue to seek a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution to the Western Sahara dispute that provides the people of the Western Sahara with an opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Zimbabwean Government about the bulldozing of squatter camps. [3763]

Ian Pearson: The British ambassador in Harare protested about the brutal crackdown with Vice President Joyce Mujuru and, separately, Didymus Mutasa, Minister of State for National Security, on 2 and 3 June respectively.

The European Union also issued a statement on 8 June condemning the actions of the authorities and calling on the government of Zimbabwe to cease the callous and arbitrary destruction of property and livelihoods of ordinary Zimbabweans. Once again Mugabe has demonstrated a total lack of respect for the human rights of individuals and for the security and prosperity of the country. The displacement has created a serious internal refugee problem compounding the existing humanitarian crisis.

Department for International Development funds are being used in provision of immediate assistance to affected households who do not have the capacity to absorb the shock themselves (particularly children and the chronically ill).

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what changes have been made to the list of persons banned from travel to the EU from Zimbabwe since the recent elections and changes in the composition of the Government in that country; and if he will make a statement; [3767]
 
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(2) if he will make a statement on EU sanctions against Zimbabwe following the recent election in that country. [3768]

Ian Pearson: We believe that the European Union's current policy towards Zimbabwe, including sanctions against the Mugabe regime, is justified by that regime's failure to address EU concerns, including the abuse of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The flawed elections and the current brutal crackdown on thousands of ordinary Zimbabweans underline the need to maintain pressure on the Government of Zimbabwe.

We are currently working with our partners to increase the number of those targeted by the EU travel ban and assets freeze list.

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