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1 May 2007 : Column 1641W—continued
Iraq: Casualties
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British civilians are known to have suffered injury in Iraq since the beginning of March 2003. [134478]
Dr. Howells: Our consular records show that at least 47 civilians entitled to consular assistance have been hospitalised, reported as injured and medivaced since March 2003. This is not a definitive figure as records include only those cases where consular assistance has been sought.
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on the Government’s discussions with the Iraqi government on the release of accurate and up-to-date figures on civilian deaths in Iraq. [132538]
Margaret Beckett:
The Government do not collate figures for civilian casualties in Iraq. Both the Iraqi Ministries of Interior and Health published figures in January, but there is no 100 per cent. reliable and accurate assessment of casualties in Iraq. Estimates of
the numbers of civilian deaths vary according to the methods used. We continue to press the Iraqi government to release the most up-to-date figures.
According to figures released by the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior on 2 January, 12,320 civilians were killed during 2006. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq estimates that 34,452 civilians were killed in 2006, on the basis of information obtained through the Iraqi Health Ministry, hospitals and the Medico-Legal Institute in Baghdad. No further figures are currently available.
Iraq: Police
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made since July 2006 on achieving the milestones for police reform in the Iraqi provinces of (a) Al Basrah, (b) Al Muthanna, (c) Dhi Qar and (d) Maysan; and if she will make a statement. [132518]
Margaret Beckett: Since my reply to the hon. Member on 25 July 2006, Official Report, column 1267W, the following progress has been made against milestones.
In Basra, there has been progress against milestones for police training, infrastructure and operational capability. 87 per cent. of police are now trained (increase from 63 per cent.) and the majority of training is now carried out by the Iraqis. Over 80 per cent. of police stations in Basra city are assessed as being largely or fully capable of carrying out their duties. The notorious ‘Serious Crimes Unit’ was disbanded by the December 2006 operation and a functioning Department of Internal Affairs has been established to investigate, arrest and prosecute corrupt police officers. Significant challenges do remain with the Basra police and we will continue to engage in reform activity.
The provinces of Dhi Qar(1) and Maysan have been approved for transfer to Provincial Iraqi Control and were transferred on 21 September 2006 and 18 April 2007 respectively. The police forces in these provinces are now fully equipped and are judged by the National Civilian Policing Assistance Training Team as being largely capable.
(1 )The Italian contingent of Multi-National Force-Iraq has always had responsibility for police assistance in Dhi Qar province.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she expects to reply to the letter of 1 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Dr. Elizabeth Thomas. [132486]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
A reply was sent on 30 March 2007.
Ministerial Changes
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department has undertaken work in preparation for a change of Prime Minister; and if she will make a statement. [134000]
Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's objective is to deliver the foreign policy priorities of the elected Government over the course of a Parliament, and that is what it is focusing on.
North Korea: Arms Trade
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the extent of North Korea's arms trade; which countries North Korea (a) exports arms to and (b) imports arms from; what discussions she has had with her United Nations counterparts on this issue; and if she will make a statement. [132422]
Margaret Beckett: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) does not publish details of its arms exports and imports. However, independent organisations publish estimates, for example the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which gives estimates of the DPRK’s arms imports and exports for 1995-2005.
The DPRK is considered to be the world’s most prolific supplier of ballistic missiles and related technology to countries of concern. During negotiations for the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1718, the UK discussed with international partners in the UN ways to curb the DPRK proliferation of missiles and weapons of mass destruction-related materials around the world. UNSCR 1718, adopted in October 2006, imposes a ban on the export to the DPRK of nuclear and ballistic-missile goods and technologies, a ban on the export of arms to the DPRK, a ban on technical assistance and advice related to all these items and a ban on the export by the DPRK of proliferation-sensitive goods and technologies. The UK and its partners will continue to urge the DPRK to comply with UNSCR 1718 and resume its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
North Korea: UN Resolutions
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of international compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1718, on North Korea; and if she will make a statement. [132421]
Margaret Beckett: The UN Security Council’s Sanctions Committee for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea meets regularly, in accordance with its mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1718. Part of its mandate is to seek information from all states on implementation. On 16 April the Committee reported to the Security Council that 68 countries had submitted reports on their progress on implementation of the resolution. We continue to support the work of the Sanctions Committee in monitoring implementation of, and compliance with, the resolution.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was allocated to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development by the Government in each of the last
three years; what commitments regarding future funding have been entered into; and if she will make a statement. [134651]
Mr. McCartney: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) contributed:
| € | |
to the Part I (core) budget of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which funds the work of OECD committees and to which all member states contribute. As agreed with the OECD, the FCO pays these contributions quarterly, though the cost in sterling varies, owing to exchange rate fluctuations. The FCO contributes separately to budgets to cover the redevelopment costs of the OECD's Paris headquarters, pensions, and publications.
In 2007, UK assessed contributions for Part I amount to €11,354,731.20. As the OECD's budget is agreed bi-annually, we are committed to paying the same amount as in 2007 plus a nominal 1 per cent. increase in 2008. However, the exact figure will only be known in January 2008 as it depends on the UK's share of the overall OECD budget, which is calculated annually based on the size of member states' gross domestic product.
These totals exclude UK contributions to Part II organisations, such as the International Energy Agency or the Sahel Club, as well as voluntary payments for specific areas of OECD work, which individual Government Departments pay directly periodically. The figures in the table denote the total voluntary contributions to Part I of the OECD budget by all UK Government Departments:
| (€) | Contributions | |
Pakistan: Frontiers
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her counterpart in Pakistan on the landmining of the country’s border with Afghanistan. [134402]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed this subject with President Musharraf in Pakistan on 26 February. The UK recognises the efforts being made by Pakistan to curb cross-border infiltration across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The UK position on the use of landmines, however, is well known and we urge Pakistan to find solutions with less destructive long-term humanitarian consequences. We note that President Musharraf announced on 2 February that he has decided for the time being not to mine the border.
Panjab Singh
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department has taken on behalf of British citizen Panjab Singh following his complaint of ill-treatment by the Indian authorities during his arrest and detention. [134749]
Dr. Howells: We are aware of the allegations of ill-treatment Mr. Singh has made. We take all such allegations by British nationals very seriously. We are obtaining the specific details of the allegations from Mr. Singh and will be taking these forward with the Indian authorities.
Shiekh Hasina
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to clarify with the Government in Bangladesh the position of Sheikh Hasina. [134701]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised the position of Sheikh Hasina with Dr. Iftekhar Chowdhury, Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser on 19 April. I note that the caretaker Government have since lifted the restriction on Sheikh Hasina’s return to Bangladesh.
Sudan: Human Rights
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the recommendations of the UN Human Rights Council High Level Mission to Sudan. [135260]
Mr. McCartney: The High Level Mission on Human Rights in Darfur reported gross and systematic violations of human rights and breaches of international humanitarian law in Darfur. The report recommended more effective protection through: the deployment of the UN/African Union peacekeeping force and more human rights monitors; a ceasefire and negotiated peace; effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and on-going donor support; and tackling impunity, including through Government of Sudan co-operation with the International Criminal Court.
Following the report's publication I, and the UK Permanent Representative to the Human Rights Council (HRC), called on the Council to take effective action on Darfur and support the report’s recommendations. I made clear to the Sudanese Justice Minister that it was unacceptable that Sudan had not co-operated with the High Level Mission.
The UK, with our EU Partners, played a key role in getting the HRC to adopt a resolution on 30 March supporting the implementation of the Mission's recommendations. The resolution created a mechanism to ensure the Government of Sudan implement all existing UN recommendations on human rights in Darfur, and for a further report on human rights in Darfur to be presented to the fifth session of the HRC, 11-18 June.
Sudan: Peace Keeping Operations
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely levels of co-operation of the Government of Sudan with the UN/AMIS peacekeeping force for Darfur. [134745]
Mr. McCartney: The Government of Sudan have agreed to the Heavy Support Package of United Nations' support to the African Union (AU). But this is only a step towards the joint UN-AU hybrid operation needed to provide protection to Darfur's citizens. The Government of Sudan must agree to the hybrid force and co-operate fully with its implementation. If they do not honour their commitments we are prepared to introduce tougher measures.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will discuss the setting up of an AU-UN force operational within Darfur with the Chinese Government. [134925]
Mr. McCartney: We regularly discuss Darfur with the Chinese Government including at the UN. We want China to use its considerable influence with the Sudanese Government to help ensure Khartoum supports deployment of the joint African Union/UN peacekeeping in Darfur, as well as a ceasefire and renewed political process. We gave this message to the Chinese Government before President Hu’s visit to Africa earlier this year. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister also raised Darfur on 23 April, during his recent visit to China.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the capacity of the French air force in Chad to monitor a no-fly zone over Darfur. [134930]
Mr. McCartney: We have not made a military assessment of the French air force’s capacity in Chad to monitor a no-fly zone over Darfur. The French military have long-standing ties with Chad and any such measure would also require the Chadian Government’s consent.
We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Darfur. We are discussing new measures in the UN Security Council. They could include measures to allow better air monitoring of the violence in Darfur and the possibility of imposing a no-fly-zone.
UN Human Rights Council
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the decision in March by the UN Human Rights Council to end its scrutiny of Iran and Uzbekistan; and whether the UK has made representations to the Council on the decision. [132713]
Margaret Beckett:
At its fourth session, 12-30 March 2007, the UN Human Rights Council discontinued consideration of specific cases relating to Iran and Uzbekistan under its confidential complaints procedure. The confidential nature of that procedure prevents us from commenting on any details of the cases, and on
the position taken by the UK. We do, however, emphasise strongly our deep concern over persistent violations of human rights in both Uzbekistan and Iran, and our corresponding belief that the UN should address these situations. For that reason, the UK co-sponsored the resolution passed by the UN General Assembly last autumn on the human rights situation in Iran; and the attempted resolution on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, which unfortunately failed to pass a vote in the General Assembly’s Third Committee, also last autumn. The independent UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights questions have frequently commented on issues in Iran and Uzbekistan in the course of their work; that work continues.
Whales: Conservation
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department has taken to promote internationally the publication “Protecting Whales: A Global Responsibility” from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. [134006]
Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office initially distributed copies of the publication to 57 posts, in countries identified as being particularly important in the run-up to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) 59. In consultation with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, we shall be distributing more widely to include posts accredited to all IWC member countries and others where there may be value in doing so.
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