---

25 Apr 2006 : Column 1011W—continued

World Cup (Complimentary Tickets)

Mr. Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many complimentary tickets his Department has received for games taking place at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. [63901]

Jim Fitzpatrick: None.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Swaziland/Lesotho

13. James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the withdrawal of the high commissioner from Swaziland and Lesotho. [65131]

Ian Pearson: We enjoy full diplomatic relations with the Governments of Lesotho and Swaziland. The right hon. Paul Boateng, our high commissioner in Pretoria, is accredited as non-resident high commissioner to both
 
25 Apr 2006 : Column 1012W
 
countries. We also maintain regular contact with the high commissioners of Lesotho and Swaziland in London.

Mauritania

14. Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Mauritanian Government on the illegal immigrants coming to the UK from Mauritanian ports. [65132]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any discussions with Mauritania on this subject. The Government take illegal migration seriously. Engaging with source and transit countries in Africa on migration was a priority for our EU presidency.

The UK has offered to co-fund with the European Commission, through a contribution of €81,000, a UNHCR project in Mauritania, which aims to improve Mauritanian capacity to manage migration.

European Constitution

15. Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his plans for a referendum on any new treaty establishing a constitution for Europe. [65133]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Government have made it clear that the EU constitutional treaty will only be ratified in the UK after a referendum of the British people. There is no other treaty, so discussion of other referendums would merely be abstract speculation. The EU needs to continue its focus on delivering economic reform and tackling the challenges of globalisation.

Sudan

17. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to impose sanctions on the Government of Sudan in response to alleged war crimes in Darfur. [65135]

Ian Pearson: The UK is a leading proponent of sanctions against those who violate human rights or impede the peace process in Darfur. We have identified several individuals from all sides to the conflict who we believe meet this criteria and have proposed to the Security Council that they face targeted sanctions under UN Security Council resolution 1591. We hope that a Security Council resolution imposing these measures will be passed within a day or so.

Middle East

18. Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy towards Islamist organisations in the middle east. [65136]

Dr. Howells: There are a wide variety of Islamist organisations in the middle east. We encourage political groups to pursue their agendas within the democratic process and to embrace universal principles of human rights, including the rejection of violence as a means to achieving political objectives.
 
25 Apr 2006 : Column 1013W
 

19. Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Israel on Israel's occupation of Palestinian land as defined by the 1967 boundaries. [65137]

Dr. Howells: The territory which Israel occupied in June 1967 remains occupied territory. UN Security Council resolution 242 (1967), which the UK supported, calls for the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the conflict. The building of settlements and the barrier on this land are both illegal. We have made our concerns clear to the Israeli Government.

The final determination of borders is for both parties to negotiate.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of Hamas; and if he will make a statement. [64748]

Dr. Howells: We have had no recent discussions with representatives of Hamas.

Iran

20. John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Iran's nuclear programme. [65138]

Dr. Howells: I refer to the answer my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave earlier.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's nuclear programme. [64746]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are in frequent contact with the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and his staff concerning Iran's nuclear programme. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary most recently spoke to Dr. El-Baradei on 14 April.

The United Nations Security Council has asked Dr. El-Baradei to report by 28 April on Iran's compliance with the measures required by the IAEA Board of Governors. The Security Council will consider next steps after that.

Kashmir

21. Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Pakistan and India about Kashmir. [65139]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary regularly discusses a broad range of issues, including Kashmir, with the Governments of both India and Pakistan. He discussed Kashmir with President Musharraf during his visit to Islamabad on 14 February 2005 and with the then Indian Foreign Minister, Natwar Singh, during the latter's visit to London on 27 June 2005.
 
25 Apr 2006 : Column 1014W
 

Kosovo

22. Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made with the talks on the final status of Kosovo; and if he will make a statement. [65140]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: We continue to support the status process led by UN Status Envoy, Martti Ahtisaari. We are encouraging both Belgrade and Pristina to engage constructively in this process.

My right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary, chaired a ministerial contact group meeting in London on 31 January. The statement which issued forms the basis for the British Government's approach to the Kosovo status process. It has been placed in the Library of the House.

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the future governance of Kosovo. [64831]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: The future governance of Kosovo is an issue that will be determined by the United Nations-led status process. The former President of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari, has been appointed the UN status envoy and is leading this political process on behalf of the international community. On 31 January 2006 in London, a Ministerial Contact Group statement emphasised that a multi-ethnic settlement is the only workable option. A copy of the statement has been placed in the Library of the House. Contact Group Ministers (United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Russia together with representatives of the European Union) also re-stated the international community's willingness to establish, for an interim period after the settlement, appropriate civilian and military structures to help ensure compliance with the settlement's provisions.

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the movement of people in and out of Kosovo since the commencement of NATO action there. [64832]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: During the NATO campaign, persecution by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia military led to the temporary exodus of over 500,000 Kosovo-Albanian refugees moving to Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania. Shortly after the campaign ended a large majority of those Kosovo-Albanian refugees returned. However, after the end of the campaign an estimated 65,000 to 70,000 Kosovo Serbs left Kosovo.

Since 1999 the overall numbers of Kosovo-Serbs, previously displaced from their homes, returning to Kosovo has remained disappointingly low. Uncertainty over the outcome of the final status process and its impact on the sustainability of returns create significant disincentives to return to Kosovo. Economic security remains very limited. Weak property rights protection, discouragement from the authorities in Belgrade and shortages of social housing all contribute to an atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity. We are encouraging Kosovo's Provisional Institutions to take the essential actions necessary to enable those who wish to return to do so and create an environment conducive
 
25 Apr 2006 : Column 1015W
 
to facilitate returns. We are also urging the Government in Belgrade to sign the protocol on returns agreed in September 2005.

---