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Sudan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Shearia, southern Darfur, with particular reference to Amar Jadeed village. [55339]

Ian Pearson: We have received reports that Shearia and its surrounding villages, along with other areas in North and South Sudan, have in the last two weeks been subjected to fighting between forces of the Government of Sudan and elements of the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M). The African Union Mission in Sudan is investigating the series of incidents which, if reports are verified, would constitute violations of the Abuja Security and Humanitarian Protocols.

On 19 August 2005, Amar Jadeed village, in Shearia province in South Darfur, was attacked by armed militia. Reports indicate that during the attack, three villagers were killed and a number of others wounded. It was reported that the militias also looted over 600 camels. We have had no specific reports of Amar Jadeed being targeted during the recent fighting.

During their recent visits to the peace talks in Abuja and Sudan, including Darfur, both my right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development made clear to the Government of Sudan and the SLA/M that they must take urgent steps to improve security in Darfur, particularly by implementing the ceasefire in Darfur fully.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on whether the Government of Sudan has (a) resumed the use of helicopter gunships in Darfur and (b) made incursions into Chad. [55340]

Ian Pearson: The Government of Sudan (GoS) continues to fly helicopter gunships in Darfur, but it is unclear whether they have been active in attacks. The African Union is currently investigating and we await their reports. Offensive military flights by the GoS would constitute a breach of its obligations under the Abuja Security Protocol and, under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1591, those responsible would be liable to targeted sanctions.
 
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We have received no reports of the Sudanese army making incursions into Chad, although we understand that rebel groups and militia from both Chad and Sudan regularly cross the border. Stability in both countries is vital for the region and we therefore welcome the peace agreement signed by the Presidents of both Sudan and Chad in Libya on 8 February. We hope the parties will work hard to honour it.

During his visit to Sudan, including Darfur, on 21–23 February my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) raised these issues with the Government of Sudan and made clear that they must take urgent steps to improve the security situation in Darfur. In their meeting with the Sudanese Foreign Minister on 3 February, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, and my noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, also made clear that the Government of Sudan must abide by their obligations under the UN security Council Resolutions and pressed on the need to reduce tensions with Chad.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to try to mediate between the different factions in the Sudan Liberation Army in Darfur. [55342]

Ian Pearson: We continue to be concerned by the leadership split between two factions of the Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A). When my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary addressed the Darfur peace talks in Abuja on 14 February 2006, he pressed the parties to increase their efforts to reach a negotiated settlement. He called upon all the leaders of the rebel movements to attend the talks to demonstrate their commitment to a negotiated settlement. Minni Minnawi, the leader of one faction of the SLM/A, returned to Abuja on 20 February, his first visit to the talks since December. Our representative at the Abuja talks regularly presses the SLM/A and the Justice and Equality Movement to continue to maintain a joint negotiating position in the talks in Abuja, and to work together to achieve a peaceful solution for the people of Darfur. The UK has now appointed a Special Representative to the Abuja talks, Dr. Roderick Pullen, who will continue to press all the parties at the talks.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to (a) the Government of Sudan and (b) the African Union to try to speed up disarmament of Janjaweed militias. [55345]

Ian Pearson: We have made clear to all parties in Darfur that they must abide by the terms of the ceasefire, control their forces, and work towards a political solution. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development reaffirmed this during his recent visit to Khartoum, as did my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, during talks with the Sudanese Foreign Minister in London last month. We remain in close touch with the African Union (AU) on this issue, and continue to support the AU-led talks in Abuja on security, wealth sharing and power sharing in Darfur.
 
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Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he plans to take to pursue those Sudanese officials who have been named in the confidential annex of the report of the panel of experts on Darfur as being involved in gross human rights abuses. [55976]

Ian Pearson: The panel of experts, appointed by the UN Sudan Sanctions Committee, presented its report to the Committee on 23 December 2005. The Government are pressing for swift action by the Committee on the panel's recommendations, including the listing of individuals for targeted sanctions. We will not comment on individual names, but we are clear that there can be no impunity for those who violate human rights or impede the peace process in Sudan. We will strongly support the imposition of sanctions against individuals who do so, where there is clear and compelling evidence against them.

Turkey

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Turkish Government on (a) its application to join the EU and (b) Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [55809]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: During his visit to the region in January, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary held meetings with the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Foreign Minister Gul. With both he discussed Turkey's application to join the EU and the prospects for a settlement in Cyprus. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also reaffirmed the UK's commitment to Turkey's accession process, and urged Turkey to keep up its reform efforts to align itself with the EU acquis. On Cyprus, he stressed his desire for all parties to make progress towards a comprehensive settlement under UN auspices and a normalisation of relations in the region.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has had made to Turkey on the (a) amount and (b) type of equipment of the Turkish Army in Northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [55810]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary recently visited Cyprus, Turkey and Greece to examine the prospects for making progress towards a settlement of the Cyprus problem. He stressed to all parties that the current situation is bad for Cyprus, bad for the region and bad for the EU, and encouraged them to take the necessary steps towards a resumption of settlement negotiations, including, where appropriate, lowering troop levels. The type of equipment used by Turkish forces on Cyprus was not discussed.

Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress on Turkey's proposed accession to the European Union. [56020]

 
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Mr. Douglas Alexander: Under the Austrian Presidency, the European Commission is taking forward the negotiations following the framework agreed on 3 October 2005. It is currently screening Turkey's legislation against the EU acquis and has completed screening on 9 Chapters. The Commission presented its first screening reports, on Science and Research and Education and Culture, to Member States in February, concluding that Turkey is ready to open negotiations in both chapters. Following the presentation of the Commission's screening reports it is for Member States to consider whether to set benchmarks for Turkey to fulfil before the opening of chapters, and then decide whether any chapters are ready to be opened. The relevant Council Working Group has recently recommended the opening of the Science and Research Chapter and we expect this to happen during the Austrian Presidency.

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