| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 Mar 2008 : Column 496W—continued
Serbia: Human Rights
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received representations from Human Rights Watch on the reported threats and harassment against Ms Natasa Kandic, the head of the Humanitarian Law Centre in Belgrade, and other human rights activists in Serbia; and if he will make a statement. [191977]
David Miliband: We have received no representations from Human Rights Watch.
We are following closely and with concern the threats and harassment experienced by the Humanitarian Law Centre in Belgrade and other non-governmental organisations.
On 29 February the EU made formal representations to the Serbian Government in Belgrade, in which it expressed concern about the pressure currently exerted on some of the Serbian media and non-governmental organisations.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to his Serbian counterpart on observing the safety and human rights of Ms Natasa Kandic, the head of the Humanitarian Law Centre in Belgrade, and other human rights activists in Serbia. [191978]
David Miliband: We deplore threats made against individuals and non-governmental organisations in Serbia and the attack on 21 February against the premises of the Humanitarian Law Centre in Belgrade, which Ms Kandic heads.
On 29 February the EU made formal representations to the Serbian Government in Belgrade, in which it expressed concern about the pressure currently exerted on some of the Serbian media and non-governmental organisations.
South America: Foreign Relations
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what recent discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) UK representatives in (i) Caracas, (ii) Bogota and (iii) Quito have had with (A) the government of and (B) others in (1) Venezuela, (2) Colombia and (3) Ecuador on (x) the killing of Raul Reyes and (y) relations between the three countries; and if he will make a statement; [192657]
(2) what discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) UK representatives in Paris have had with the French Government on relations between Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia; and if he will make a statement; [192659]
(3) what discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) UK representative staff have had with the European Commission on the EU response to relations between Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador; and if he will make a statement; [192662]
(4) what discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) UK representatives in Washington D.C. have had with the US Government on relations between Ecuador,
Venezuela and Colombia; and if he will make a statement; [192663]
(5) what discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) UK representatives in Brasilia have had with the Government of Brazil on relations between Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia; whether assistance was offered to Brazil and its South American partners to assist in resolving the regional situation; and if he will make a statement. [192664]
Meg Munn: We are holding meetings with representatives of the three Governments concerned. We are urging all parties to show restraint and to follow a diplomatic process to ease current tensions. We fully supported the European Union declaration of 5 March, which commented
“The European Union is concerned about the growing tension and the deployment of armed forces between Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia. It urges all parties involved to show restraint and to avoid any further escalation of the current situation.
The European Union encourages all countries involved to seek, through dialogue, a political solution.”
We are monitoring events closely and are discussing the situation with partners in the European Union, the European Commission, the US and Latin America, including Brazil. We have not discussed specific offers of assistance to Brazil and its South American partners in resolving tensions.
Sudan: Armed Conflict
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) UK representatives in Khartoum have had with the Government of Sudan on Sudanese army operations in Darfur since the beginning of 2008; what assessment his Department has made of such operations; and if he will make a statement. [192661]
Meg Munn: We have had extensive contacts with the Government of Sudan to discuss the situation in Darfur, including the issue of fighting in West Darfur between Government and rebel forces. My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development, in a joint statement of 27 February, noted the dangerous wider consequences of such conflict and called for an immediate end to fighting. We have delivered the same message, and emphasised the Government of Sudan's responsibility to protect civilians, in other contacts including by my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, during his visit to Sudan on 28 to 31 January, in subsequent talks in Khartoum through our ambassador, and with EU partners at the 18 February General Affairs and External Relations Council. We continue to urge all parties including rebel movements to commit themselves to a ceasefire and engage fully in a political process aimed at establishing a lasting peace in Darfur.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Southern Sudan's President on fighting in Abyei Province. [193291]
Meg Munn: My noble Friend the Minister responsible for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, discussed progress on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), including instability in Abyei, with the President of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, in Juba on 29 January, and subsequently with Sudanese leaders, including President Bashir, in Khartoum and Addis Ababa later that week. We continue to raise these issues in contacts with northern and southern Sudanese leaders. Sir Derek Plumbly will pursue all aspects of CPA implementation in his role as Chair of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission for the CPA.
Sudan: Overseas Aid
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of UN claims that the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) is blocking humanitarian access to the Jabel Moun area of Darfur; what reports his Department has received on possible negotiations between the JEM and the Government of Sudan; and if he will make a statement. [192660]
Meg Munn: While we understand humanitarian agencies are still unable to access the Jebel Moun area, we cannot confirm whether they are barred at the behest of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) or because of continuing fighting between JEM forces and the Sudanese armed forces. We are not aware of negotiations between JEM and the Government of Sudan but mediators from the African Union and the UN are talking to rebel groups in and outside Darfur, including JEM, to press them to end hostilities and agree on common platforms for negotiations with the Government of Sudan.
My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development, in a joint statement of 27 February, called on all parties to stop the violence; to allow immediate humanitarian access; to protect civilians; and to facilitate the deployment of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur.
Sudan: Peace Negotiations
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the Darfur peace process takes into account the special wants and needs of women and girls, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1325. [193290]
Meg Munn: The UK has given £1 million to the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation, which consults civil society on the Darfur peace process including women's groups and non-governmental organisations supporting women's rights.
The UK has funded Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) to support women's peace initiatives in Darfur, Juba and Khartoum. FAS organised the African Women's Consultation on Darfur at the end of January, where about 100 women gathered to discuss the situation in Darfur and Sudan. An Interim Steering Committee will implement the new Action Plan for Peace. FAS is sponsoring an event during the Human Rights Council (3 to 28 March), and will be offering training on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and legal
instruments supporting women's issues. FAS plans further consultation and training events in Darfur throughout the year.
The UK funds governance projects in Sudan which include training the police, judiciary and prison officers in issues related to gender-based violence, and support to local non-governmental organisations for workshops and seminars on peace-building initiatives, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health and media campaigns against gender-based violence.
The UK also contributes 60 per cent. of the budget of the UN's Common Humanitarian Fund which supports women's rights projects in Sudan, including action on sexual and gender-based violence in Darfur and Southern Sudan and strengthening civil society organisations to prevent sexual and gender-based violence and promote women's leadership role in society.
Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK is taking to ensure that the UNAMID peacekeeping force in Darfur operates in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1325, with particular reference to its calls for (a) more women to be appointed to peacekeeping operations, (b) peacekeepers to be trained in gender issues and (c) women and girls to be provided with extra protection in war zones. [193230]
Meg Munn: The UN set a target that women constitute 40 per cent. of the police component of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The training conference in Accra in February reconfirmed that gender issues will be a significant part of the UNAMID pre-deployment training curriculum. UNAMID is already conducting firewood patrols that give protection to internally displaced persons gathering wood (mainly women).
In Sudan, our embassy in Khartoum has supported a number of conflict mitigation and peace-building initiatives, which have actively encouraged women to lead on reconciliation efforts in line with UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 of October 2000. The UK also funds a number of projects in Sudan training the police, judiciary and prison officers in issues related to gender-based violence.
The UK leads at the UN on the implementation of UNSCR 1325. We pushed for the most recent presidential statement on UNSCR 1325, of October 2007, to call for increased reporting on the impact of armed conflict on women and girls. The UK is co-sponsoring a Wilton Park conference for Chief-of-Staff-level military personnel from troop-contributing countries to discuss practical tactics that the military can employ to protect women from violence.
Uganda: Armed Conflict
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likelihood of peace between the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA); and what reports he has received of the likely request of the LRA leadership for immunity from prosecutions for war crimes. [193244]
Meg Munn: We welcome the progress made by the government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and are encouraged by reports that the two sides will sign a final peace agreement by the end of the month. We note that in the recent peace agreement, the LRA leadership has asked the Government of Uganda to request a deferral of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants and establish national mechanisms to try those alleged to have committed crimes as an alternative to the ICC. We believe that justice is an essential part of a sustainable peace and it is vital that those responsible for the terrible crimes committed during the conflict in northern Uganda are held to account.
Zimbabwe: Elections
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his (a) EU and (b) African counterparts on the need for international pressure on Zimbabwe to observe international standards in the 29 March elections in that country; and what action has been agreed. [192911]
Meg Munn [holding answer 10 March 2008]: We are very concerned that the forthcoming Zimbabwean elections will not be conducted in free and fair circumstances. The Minister for Europe, my hon Friend the Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr. Murphy), discussed the importance of Zimbabwean elections meeting international standards with his EU counterparts on 10 March 2008 at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council. Our high commissions and embassies in the region are in regular contact with members of the Southern African Development Community. They are urging them to ensure that the forthcoming elections in Zimbabwe meet international standards, including the Southern African Development Community guidelines and principles on elections.
International Development
Developing Countries: Budgetary Support
6. Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's provision of direct budgetary support in developing countries; and if he will make a statement. [193267]
Mr. Thomas: Independent evaluations of the impact of budget support have demonstrated that, in the right circumstances, budget support has
strengthened countries' public financial management systems;
improved the efficiency of their public expenditure; and
increased the services provided by partner governments, particularly in health and education.
HIV/AIDS
7. Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in the strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in developing countries. [193268]
Gillian Merron: The UK Government are making good progress in taking forward the strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in developing countries. In particular, we have narrowed the funding gap, strengthened political leadership, pushed for closer co-ordination between aid agencies, and invested in new medicines and preventative technologies.
Doha
8. Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the Government's objectives are for the Doha development round of trade talks at the World Trade Organisation; and if he will make a statement. [193269]
Mr. Thomas: The Government remain committed to working with the EU Trade Commissioner, other EU member states and other World Trade Organisation members to achieve an ambitious, pro-development outcome to the Doha Development Agenda trade talks before the end of 2008.
14. Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress has been made in the Doha development round of trade talks at the World Trade Organisation; and if he will make a statement. [193275]
Mr. Thomas: World Trade Organisation members are currently engaged in discussions in Geneva following the issuing of revised negotiating texts in February. The Government remain committed to working with the EU Trade Commissioner, other EU member states and other WTO members to achieve an ambitious, pro-development outcome to the Doha Development Agenda trade talks before the end of 2008.
Nigeria-linked Financial Crime
9. John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department provides to the anti-corruption unit of the Metropolitan police to combat Nigeria-linked financial crime in the UK. [193270]
Gillian Merron: The UK Government are providing £6 million of support over three years to the Metropolitan police and the City of London police to strengthen the UK's capacity to investigate and prosecute international corruption cases relating to Nigeria and other developing countries.
International Development Association
10. Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the UK will contribute to the International Development Association 15 replenishment. [193271]
Mr. Thomas: The UK will provide the 15th replenishment of the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA 15) with £2.134 billion over three years. IDA 15 runs from 1 July 2008 until 30 June 2011.
Poverty Reduction
11. Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK aid in reducing poverty in developing countries; and if he will make a statement. [193272]
Mr. Thomas: The Government are committed to ensuring that UK aid is used effectively to make a difference to the lives of the world’s poorest people. UK aid helps lift 3 million people permanently out of poverty every year. The recent OECD-DAC baseline survey also shows that DFID has either met or is on track to meet all the 2010 targets contained in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |