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14 Mar 2006 : Column 2048W—continued
Costa Rica
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what plans there are to host a visit from Oscar Aria, President-Elect of Costa Rica, in the UK; [58629]
(2) if he will make a statement on UK-Costa Rican relations. [58630]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Government welcome the successful holding of democratic elections in Costa Rica and congratulate the new President-elect, Oscar Arias Sanchez, on his victory. Relations between the UK and Costa Rica remain strong and we look forward to working with President-elect Arias and his new government. There are currently no plans for a visit by the President-elect to the UK.
Departmental Relocation
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many jobs in his Department have been relocated to Wales since 2001. [57695]
Dominican Republic
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will raise the human rights situation of Haitian migrant workers during the forthcoming visit of President Fernandez of the Dominican Republic; and if he will make a statement. [57924]
Mr. Douglas Alexander:
President Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic will visit the UK as a guest of the Government from 21–24 March 2006. Dominican Republic/Haiti relations and the human rights situation are always on the agenda when we speak to Dominican Republic Ministers, and we look forward to a constructive exchange on these and many other issues with President Fernandez and his accompanying Ministers during the visit.
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Guantanamo Bay
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he and (b) his officials have received evidence of the use of dogs as part of interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay detention centre. [58603]
Dr. Howells: Following allegations of prisoner abuse at Guantanamo Bay detention facility, including the use of dogs during interrogation sessions, Lieutenant General Randall M Schmidt conducted an investigation of the detention and interrogation operations there. His report confirmed that dogs had been used during interrogation sessions on two occasions but that the practice had since been specifically prohibited. The full report, the Army Regulation 15–6: Final Report Investigation into FBI Allegations of Detainee Abuse at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Detention Facility", is available at: www.cfr.org/publication/9804/schmidt_report.html.
Hudood Ordinances
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the implementation of the Hudood Ordinances in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement. [57870]
Dr. Howells: We remain concerned about the infringement of human rights through the Hudood Ordinances, which enforce strict forms of punishments such as whipping, amputation of limbs and death for breaking the law. We are particularly concerned by the ordinance relating to the offence of Zina (Fornication/Adultery) which increases potential injustices against women. Victims of rape, or even gang rape, have been accused of Zina and thereby subjected to wrong and unjust prosecutions. This has often left victims ostracised by their families and communities.
The UK would like to see all of the Hudood Ordinances repealed and the Pakistan Penal Code should be amended to provide appropriate legal guidelines to enable a more coherent approach to prosecuting rape and adultery cases. Failing a full repeal, we would like the Government of Pakistan to consider amending the ordinances to ensure that they are not discriminatory towards women.
Iran
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of comments by the Iranian negotiator Hassan Rowhani on 4 March 2006 on Iran's nuclear programme. [57871]
Dr. Howells:
As the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has documented in successive reports, Iran has long lacked transparency about its nuclear activities. The nature of Iran's nuclear activities, its record of concealment, its failure to co-operate fully with the IAEA, and its failure to take necessary confidence building steps have contributed to the deep concerns of the international community that Iran's intentions regarding its nuclear programme, may not be, as it claims, exclusively peaceful. It is precisely for this reason that we, with France and Germany, and with the
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support of the EU high representative and other members of the international community, have engaged in our diplomatic efforts. The remarks attributed to Hassan Rowhani serve only to underline the urgent need for Iran to address the requests made in successive IAEA Board resolutions, including by suspending all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.
Lesotho
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the political implications of the recent attempt to assassinate Lesotho's Foreign Minister; and if he will make a statement. [58227]
Ian Pearson: We are concerned by the events of 29 January and are monitoring developments closely. The Lesotho police continue to investigate the case. No arrests have yet been made in relation to the shooting. At this stage, it is unclear whether the shooting was politically rather than criminally motivated. Our high commissioner in Pretoria wrote to Foreign Minister Moleleki on 1 February, to offer his sympathy and that of my noble Friend, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa, Lord Triesman of Tottenham.
Natural Disasters
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 24 January 2006, Official Report, columns 2007–08W, on natural disasters, whether the individuals involved in Hurricane Katrina had been (a) alerted to the danger and (b) advised to evacuate by (i) the local authorities and (ii) his Department; what class of ticket they travelled on; for what reasons return flights were required; what factors underlay the level of departmental financial support supplied; and if he will make a statement. [52609]
Ian Pearson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office frequently amended its travel advice to British nationals during Hurricane Katrina and advised British nationals in the area to track the hurricane and pay attention to advice from local authorities and the media. We also published web links to US agencies who offered advice on how to prepare for storms and to meteorological sites who monitored her progress. When Katrina hit, we advised of causalities and widespread damage and disruption. The Mayor of New Orleans ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city on 28 August.
We are constantly improving our consular response to British nationals caught up in mass casualty incidents overseas. If there is a major catastrophe, we will consider whether to offer exceptional help to those British nationals who are directly affected, bearing in mind the circumstances of the catastrophe and the resources available. In line with this, we put in place a version of the assistance package used for the Asian tsunami to help British nationals affected by Hurricane Katrina. The package includes: up to five nights accommodation for any residents and visiting British nationals in desperate need; business class return flights for those resident in the US who had lost homes,
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belongings and funds; flights for any bereaved families to travel to the US if appropriate and repatriation of remains if appropriate.
Nepal
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Nepalese Government on human rights. [58018]
Dr. Howells: The UK has made regular representations to the Nepalese Government on human rights. We have also made repeated public statements deploring human rights violations by both the Nepalese security forces and the Maoists. Most recently, senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials met the Nepalese ambassador on 2 March and raised our concerns about the continued detention of political leaders and activists, and peaceful demonstrators. Prior to that we have registered our concern about physical abuses and the infringement of democratic and civil rights with the Government at all levels, including with the King after he took direct power of the country last year.
In seeking to address human rights issues we have sought to coordinate closely with our EU partners. In October 2005, as Presidency of the EU, the UK led an EU directors level Troika delegation to Nepal. The Troika raised human rights issues with many of its interlocutors. In a press statement at the end of the Troika's visit, the Troika said:
"We urge the Government and the security forces to lead by example in respecting human rights, to tackle urgently the prevailing culture of impunity, and to use security legislation with utmost caution".
The Troika also registered its concerns about the Government's enforcement of repressive restrictions on the media in Nepal and said that freedom of expression was a fundamental prerequisite for an effective democracy and the recent Media Ordinance infringed upon the right to freedom of expression.
In a more recent statement on 27 January, the UK joined the EU in responding to the recent escalation of violence and political unrest, which also addressed the issue of human rights in Nepal. This is available on the following website:
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Nepalese Government on the restoration of democratic government. [58020]
Dr. Howells:
The UK has made regular representations to the King and Government of Nepal, calling on them to restore democracy and pursue a negotiated political settlement to the conflict involving all of the main actors. Most recently, on 2 March officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office met with the Nepalese ambassador and registered our ongoing concerns about the democratic deficit in Nepal. We also conveyed our concerns about the continued arrests and detention of political activists, restrictions on the media and the absence of consultations between
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the parties for a full return to democracy, including through elections. Prior to that we have registered our concerns about the infringement of democratic rights with the government at all levels, including with the King after he took direct power of the country last year.
In seeking to address the restoration of democracy in Nepal, we have sought to coordinate closely with our EU partners. In October 2005, as presidency of the EU the UK led an EU directors level Troika delegation to Nepal to encourage reconciliation and dialogue between the king, the political parties and the Maoists. The Troika said to the Government of Nepal that an effective multi-party democracy was the only sustainable solution to the problems of Nepal. The Troika also expressed the need for an inclusive and comprehensive negotiated peace process, which will require the assistance of an independent and credible external partner and the active support of the international community.
More recently, in response to an escalation of violence and political unrest, the EU issued a joint statement on 27 February in which we said that, for elections to be meaningful,
"it is crucial that they be held in direct consultation with the political parties as part of an exercise to establish a full return to democracy. The fact that no such consultation has taken place means that the planned municipal elections will be another step backwards for democracy and are likely to further polarize positions".
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