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5 Feb 2007 : Column 668W—continued
An up-to-date summary can be found on the Council of Europe website at:
http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/ListeTraites.asp?PO=UK&MA=999&SI=3&DF=&CM=3&CL=ENG.
Ratification raises a number of issues, including the need to review domestic law and policy in relation to each Convention. In light of this, expected ratification dates cannot be provided.
Deportation: British Nationality
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what records she maintains of British citizens deported from abroad to the UK by other countries. [117850]
Dr. Howells: Where consular staff are aware that a British national is to be deported to the UK, either through providing consular assistance or notification from local authorities, they will record the information on the individual’s case file on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office consular assistance database—Compass.
Gulf States: EC External Trade
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress was made during the recent talks between officials of the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) towards advancement of an EU/GCC free trade agreement; and if she will make a statement. [117962]
Dr. Howells: The last round of talks between officials of the EU and the Gulf Co-operation Council showed that both sides were moving closer to an agreement. However, at this stage the negotiations remain confidential. It remains a shared objective to conclude these talks as soon as possible.
Iran
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to renew her requests to her Iranian counterpart for the return of the British military equipment seized illegally in the Shatt-al-Arab causeway. [112380]
Dr. Howells:
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no immediate plans for contact with her Iranian counterpart. But we continue to urge the Iranians to return the boats. We have previously raised
the return of boats and equipment with the Iranian authorities on numerous occasions, at both Ministerial and senior official level, in Tehran and London.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the recent Iranian decision to bar 38 inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency from entering Iran; and if she will make a statement. [112535]
Margaret Beckett: This decision is deeply disappointing and will only increase international concern. If Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful, as the Iranians claim, then it is in Iran’s interests to co-operate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resolve outstanding issues. Barring so many inspectors from the country will hardly help.
The IAEA has asked Iran to reconsider the decision. But the IAEA has also said that even if Iran does not, ‘there are a sufficient number of inspectors designated for Iran and the IAEA is able to perform its inspection activities’. Iran has a legally binding obligation under United Nations Security Council resolution 1737 to provide ‘such access and co-operation as the IAEA requests’ to verify suspension and clarify outstanding issues.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK Government made representations calling for the imposition of additional EU financial measures against Iran at the recent GAERC meeting of European Union Foreign Ministers; and what the Government’s policy is on such measures. [112537]
Margaret Beckett: EU Foreign Ministers discussed Iran only briefly at the 22 January General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC). With the UK’s full support, they agreed that in order to ensure effective implementation of measures in United Nations Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1737, the EU should
“prevent the export to and import from Iran of the goods on the Nuclear Suppliers Group and Missile Technology Control Regime lists; ban transactions with and freeze the assets of individuals and entities covered by the criteria in UNSCR 1737; ban travel to the EU of the individuals covered by these criteria; and take measures to prevent Iranian nationals from studying proliferation sensitive subjects within the EU”.
Officials are presently drafting a Common Position that will take this forward; it is likely to be discussed at the 12 February GAERC. We would like the EU to implement the measures, including the financial elements, robustly and effectively.
Iraq
Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance and advice has been given to trade delegations by her Department wishing to go to (a) Iraq and (b) Iraqi Kurdistan to explore possible trade opportunities. [112275]
Dr. Howells: Until December 2006, we advised British citizens against all but essential travel to the three Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)-administered provinces in Iraq. This advice included visits by trade delegations. Our consulate-general in Kirkuk and a representative from our embassy in Baghdad, nevertheless, met those delegations who decided to visit the region. These have recently included British Expertise (2 to 5 September 2006) and Middle East Association (10 to 15 November 2006). Our travel advice for the KRG region changed in December 2006. The change will allow UK Trade and Investment to provide commercial advice and assistance in respect of the region in future, in liaison with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
We continue to advise against all travel to other parts of Iraq and have not been asked to give assistance or advice to UK trade delegations wishing to go elsewhere in the country. Details of our travel advice for Iraq can be found on the FCO website at:
www.fco.gov.uk/travel/iraq.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on difficulties encountered by Iraqi businessmen in obtaining travel documents to travel and trade (a) inside and (b) outside Iraq; if she will review the documentation requirements of the UK to allow travel and trade by those businessmen; and if she will make a statement. [116098]
Mr. Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
The Secretary of State for the Home Department Office has received reports of the difficulties that Iraqi business and other Iraqi travellers state they face in obtaining Iraqi travel documents. The Home Office is charged with maintaining the security of the UK border and the integrity of UK border control. The responsibility for issuing travel documents to Iraqi nationals rests with the Iraqi authorities.
The Iraqi authorities issue a number of travel documents, some of which are universally accepted abroad, others of which are not.
The Iraqi S-series passport, originally introduced by the Interim Iraqi Government in 2004, may be used for travel to many countries in the immediate region and beyond and is available from regional offices in Iraq. However, the document is of poor quality with a lack of security features, making it highly vulnerable to counterfeiting or alteration. For that reason, acceptance of the S-series passport for travel to the United Kingdom was phased out between 1 September and 1 November 2006. There are no plans to reverse or review this decision which would open the UK to immigration abuse. The S-series is also not accepted by Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Switzerland and the USA.
The new G-series passport, issued from April 2006, includes modern security features and is acceptable for travel to the UK. In Iraq, the G-series is issued in Baghdad only but it can also be applied for at Iraqi missions abroad, including in London. There are also the N-series and H-series Iraqi passports. These are no
longer issued but are acceptable for travel to the UK within their stated validity if issued prior to 19 March 2003 or if issued or revalidated after that date by the Coalition Provisional Authority or (in the case of the H-series only) by the Iraqi Interim Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The UK Government continue to monitor the situation.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what form and when the UK shared its experience from Northern Ireland with the government of Iraq; and if she will make a statement. [117662]
Margaret Beckett: We have shared our experience from Northern Ireland with the Iraqi government in a variety of ways, sometimes formally, sometimes less so. Among recent examples are the following:
during his visit to the UK in September 2006, Iraqi Minister of National Dialogue and Reconciliation Akram al-Hakim called on the Northern Ireland Office to discuss reconciliation and lessons learned in Northern Ireland;
in November 2006, we arranged the visit of a broad delegation of Iraqi politicians, led by National Security Advisor Muwaffaq Al Rubai’e, to Northern Ireland. The visit included presentations and discussions from a range of politicians, clerics, security experts and academics/practitioners in the area of conflict resolution, as well as senior representatives of the Police Service of Northern Ireland; and
Sir Ronnie Flanagan has visited Iraq three times since 2005 to work with police and others on governance and reconciliation.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what help and support the UK is providing to promote reconciliation and non-sectarianism in Iraqi politics. [117663]
Margaret Beckett: We have worked consistently in recent years to promote reconciliation between Iraq’s communities and a non-sectarian approach both in government and more widely (notably in the Iraqi security forces).
We have strongly supported the National Reconciliation Initiative launched by Prime Minister Maliki last year. We have recently provided an expert, funded by the Department for International Development, to advise the Iraqi government on reconciliation.
We have also shared with the Iraqi government and political leaders our experience of the reconciliation process in Northern Ireland, for example by arranging for:
Minister of National Dialogue and Reconciliation Akram al-Hakim to meet senior officials from the Northern Ireland Office during his visit to the UK in September 2006;
a delegation of Iraqi politicians to visit Northern Ireland in November 2006, where they met with a range of politicians, clerics, security experts and academics/practitioners in the area of conflict resolution, as well as senior representatives of the Northern Ireland Police Service: and
Sir Ronnie Flanagan to visit Iraq three times since 2005 to work with police and others on governance and reconciliation.
Israel: Frontiers
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Israeli government on its plans to change the route of the separation wall eastwards away from the green line. [118827]
Dr. Howells: We are concerned at reports that the Israeli government are considering changing the route of the barrier to incorporate two west bank settlements. We fully recognise Israel's right to self-defence, but the barrier's route should be on or behind the green line and not on occupied territory. Construction of the barrier on Palestinian land is illegal. The route is particularly damaging around east Jerusalem, as it risks cutting the city off from the west bank and dividing the west bank in two. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv raised this with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni's office and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs legal advisers on 31 January 2007.
Jeremy Crook
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made at (a) ministerial and (b) official level to the United States on the case of Jeremy Crook. [117770]
Dr. Howells: No ministerial or official representations have been made to the United States on the case of Mr. Jeremy Crook. Consular assistance has been offered to him.
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made at (a) ministerial and (b) official level to the United States on the case of Jeremy Crook. [117767]
Dr. Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him today (UIN 117770).
Kosovo
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her Contact Group counterparts on the future status of Kosovo; and if she will make a statement. [112545]
Margaret Beckett: The UK has worked in close partnership with Contact Group partners (US, France, Germany, Italy, Russia) to assist in efforts to achieve a lasting status settlement for Kosovo and the region.
Contact Group Ministers last met in New York in September 2006, where we asked the UN Special Envoy, Martti Ahtisaari, to prepare a comprehensive proposal for a status settlement. Contact Group officials met on 26 January in Vienna, where they discussed the draft settlement with President Ahtisaari.
We will continue to work closely with Contact Group partners to achieve the durable solution for Kosovo which will enhance regional stability and the region’s Euro-Atlantic prospects.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the decision on the final status of Kosovo will be made; and if she will make a statement. [112546]
Margaret Beckett: UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari took his Kosovo final status proposals to Belgrade and Pristina on 2 February. A period of intensive consultation will now follow.
President Ahtisaari continues to enjoy the full support of the Government. We have every faith that his final status recommendations will provide the basis for a lasting settlement for Kosovo and the wider Balkans region.
Ministers will keep the House appraised of developments.
Middle East
Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Israeli Government on Israel's policy towards Iran. [112496]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are in frequent contact with their Israeli counterparts about Iran. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Iran with her Israeli counterpart on 2 January. The UK has been working closely with international partners including Israel to encourage Iran to address the concerns and requests of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors and the UN Security Council concerning its nuclear programme.
Mohammed Dahlan
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions since 2004 (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department met Mohammed Dahlan; and where and when each meeting took place. [117941]
Dr. Howells: The consul-general and other officials at our consulate-general in Jerusalem have regularly met Mohammed Dahlan in the course of their normal diplomatic business, to discuss security matters, Palestinian co-ordination with the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in September 2005 and political affairs. Since 2004, Ministers have met Mohammed Dahlan to discuss Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The exact dates and locations of each meeting is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Montenegro
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her counterparts in Montenegro since its independence. [117738]
Mr. Hoon: On 8 November 2006, I visited Podgorica where I met the President, Prime Minister, parliamentary speaker, and the outgoing and incoming Foreign Ministers.
As the first British Minister to visit an independent Montenegro I welcomed their independence.
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