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Darfur

14. Mr. Stewart Jackson (Peterborough) (Con): If he will make a statement on the security situation in Darfur. [57940]

The Minister for Trade (Ian Pearson): There has recently been further fighting in Darfur between the forces of the Government of Sudan and rebel groups, as well as between different militias and tribal groupings. There have been
 
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attacks on civilians, humanitarian workers and the African Union monitoring mission, and the general level of banditry remains high. We call on all the parties to respect the ceasefire and reach an early political settlement. We are taking the actions outlined earlier by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

Mr. Jackson: I thank the Minister for that answer. Further to the comments of my hon. Friend the Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown), does the Minister think that it is acceptable that the President of Libya has a de facto veto on NATO involvement in enforcing the UN mandate in Darfur?

Ian Pearson: I understand the hon. Gentleman's point. However, this is clearly a matter for discussion in the United Nations. Let me re-emphasise that we are very concerned about the security situation. In a speech in Abuja on 14 February, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made it very clear to all the parties that they need to make urgent efforts to achieve a sustained ceasefire. That remains our hope and our position.

Joint Economic and Trade Committee

15. Peter Luff (Mid-Worcestershire) (Con): If he will make a statement on the current work programme of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee. [57941]

The Minister for Trade (Ian Pearson): The Joint Economic and Trade Committee is a bilateral mechanism for businesses to raise issues of concern for action by the Indian and UK Governments. It aims to encourage the Indian Government to open more sectors to foreign investment and to increase trade and investment opportunities for British business. Indian and British businesses are participating in working groups for agribusiness, accountancy services, health care, hi-tech clusters, legal and financial services and infrastructure.

Peter Luff: When the Select Committee on Trade and Industry was in India last week, we saw for ourselves the huge enthusiasm that exists in the Indian business community to build and deepen trade and investment relations between our two countries. We also saw the dignified response of the Indian Government to terrorist atrocities in Varanasi. Does the Minister agree that one of the most effective contributions that we can make to answering the terrorists is to signal our determination to do all that we can to build and deepen our relationships with the fastest-growing democracy in the world?

Ian Pearson: I agree and I look forward to meeting the hon. Gentleman and the Select Committee on Trade and Industry to discuss trade in India shortly. He is right that we must conduct more trade, which is surely the best message that we can convey to India. We are doing that through the Indo-British Partnership Network. Recently, I was in India with a strong business delegation and improvements are taking place. However, I am not satisfied. It is a little like England in the second test—our batting performance was poor. We need to do better, and I am sure that we will do better in future.
 
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Angus Robertson (Moray) (SNP): Does the Minister accept that the Scotch whisky industry is seriously affected by the penal rates of duty and import tax that the Indian authorities impose? What are he, the Foreign Office and the Department of Trade and Industry doing to try to ameliorate the position?

Ian Pearson: I agree that the Scotch whisky industry is unfairly penalised by duty rates. I have raised the matter directly with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and my opposite number. We have made regular submissions about it. We hope that, as part of the World Trade Organisation negotiations, there will be a reduction in tariffs not only for Scotch whisky, but for other products.

Ethiopia

17. Julie Morgan (Cardiff, North) (Lab): What recent discussions he has had with the Ethiopian Government on disturbances in the country. [57943]

The Minister for Trade (Ian Pearson): We remain concerned about the situation in Ethiopia. We have called on all sides to exercise restraint, avoid confrontation and violence, and respect the law.

Ministers and officials raise our concerns regularly. Since December, my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for International Development, and my noble Friend Lord Triesman of Tottenham, who is Minister for Africa, have all discussed developments with the Ethiopian Prime Minister personally.

Julie Morgan: Does my hon. Friend agree that it is essential for the UK Government to continue to work closely with the Ethiopian Government to encourage more transparent democracy in the country? I have recently returned from Ethiopia where I viewed the problems and human rights abuses, but also the progress towards meeting the millennium development goals. We should continue to work closely with the Government there.

Ian Pearson: I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for her dedication to and interest in Ethiopia. The Government are concerned about the loss of life in the June and November disturbances and we want to work closely with the Ethiopian Government to ensure that they are aware of our views about the importance of a transparent, prompt and impartial inquiry. We want Prime Minister Meles to agree to international jurists observing the trial. We also want the trial to be conducted fairly, quickly and transparently. There are several serious issues to consider, and I would be more than happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss her experiences on her recent visit.

Zimbabwe

18. Mr. Henry Bellingham (North-West Norfolk) (Con): When he next expects to meet his EU counterparts to discuss EU sanctions against Zimbabwe. [57944]
 
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The Minister for Trade (Ian Pearson): At the 30 January General Affairs Council, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary joined his EU colleagues in renewing sanctions against Zimbabwe for a further year. That decision reflected the EU's strong concern about the human rights situation and failure of governance in Zimbabwe. We remain in close touch with our EU partners to maintain a firm international response to the crisis.

Mr. Bellingham: We heard earlier about the spineless attitude of neighbouring countries to Zimbabwe. They appear terrified of Mugabe. Although sanctions have been in place for several years, Zimbabwean officials and their families still travel to Europe. Furthermore, does the Minister know that Mugabe has travelled to Europe on five occasions? What more can be done? Is the hon. Gentleman genuinely saying that Her Majesty's Government cannot do more to help the people of that tragic country?

Ian Pearson: On the point about the stance of African countries, I have nothing further to add. However, the hon. Gentleman's comments are not helpful. He claims that EU sanctions are ineffective, but they place genuine pressure on the regime. They have the support of the democratic Opposition and the non-governmental organisation community in Zimbabwe. Mugabe and his cohorts detest the restrictions that are imposed on their movements. The hon. Gentleman mentioned potential loopholes. Standard exemptions enable travel to the EU in a few, narrowly defined cases, but overall the travel ban works and puts pressure on the regime.

Mr. Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP): What assistance are the Government offering to the opposition parties in Zimbabwe that are taking such a courageous and noble stand against the excesses of the Mugabe regime?

Ian Pearson: We talk on a regular basis with the Movement for Democratic Change and the various elements within it. In addition to putting pressure on the regime to change, the key thing that we do is to provide humanitarian assistance to the people in Zimbabwe who are being disadvantaged by that completely odious regime. We will continue to do that through the Department for International Development, because it is important work and it is helping to save people's lives.

West Bank

19. Kerry McCarthy (Bristol, East) (Lab): What assessment he has made of the economic impact of settler expansion in the west bank; and if he will make a statement. [57945]

The Minister for the Middle East (Dr. Kim Howells): Settlement expansion—[Hon. Members: "Hear, hear!"] I have never got this far down my crib book before. Settlement expansion has meant an increase in checkpoints and road closures in the west bank. The barrier circling settlements east of Jerusalem restricts movement for residents between the west bank and East Jerusalem. These factors are damaging the Palestinian economy. Settlements are illegal under international
 
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law. The road map is clear that Israel should freeze all settlement construction, and we continue to urge Israel to route the barrier away from occupied land.

Kerry McCarthy: I thank the Minister for his answer. I also thank the Secretary of State for agreeing to make a statement in a few minutes' time. When I was in the occupied territories as an observer for the recent Palestinian elections, I was particularly concerned to see the work that had been done to pave the way for building E1, the economic zone that will link the huge settlement of Ma'ale Adumim and Jerusalem, effectively cutting the west bank in two and completely destroying its territorial contiguity. Can my hon. Friend assure me that we are putting pressure on the Israeli Government to halt all building work on E1?

Dr. Howells: I can certainly assure my hon. Friend that we will continue to put pressure on the Israeli Government. I visited East Jerusalem recently, and I saw the disruption to people's lives that that barrier is causing; it is very severe in some cases. We agree, as we have to, that Israel has a right to self-defence and to protect itself against suicide bombers, but building a barrier on occupied land is contrary to international law. We continue to say to Israel that if it is going to build it, it should build it along the green line and not on Palestinian land.

Mrs. Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside) (Lab/Co-op): Does my hon. Friend agree that the best way to deal with the Palestinian-Israeli problem is for the Palestinians to enter into negotiations with Israel to set up a Palestinian state on the basis of a two-state solution? Does he also agree that, to enable that to happen, Hamas must accept the existence of Israel unconditionally and permanently?

Dr. Howells: Yes, indeed. I agree with that.

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