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7 July 2009 : Column 628W—continued
Egypt: British Nationality
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British (a) nationals and (b) residents have been detained by the Egyptian authorities on suspicion or charge of terrorist activities since 2000. [283865]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 3 July 2009]: From consular records we are aware of one case since 2000 of a British national who has been detained by the Egyptian authorities in which suspicion of terrorist activities has been given as the reason. We are aware of no cases in this period of British nationals having been charged in Egypt with terrorist activities.
We are also aware of a case of a British national who was detained on suspicion of involvement in extremist-related activity. There were three cases of British nationals who were detained and found guilty of their involvement with an organisation which is illegal in Egypt. A fourth British national was briefly held and released on the same grounds. Additionally, there were a small number of British nationals during this period who were detained on arrival at Cairo airport and returned to the UK, with no formal reason given.
Consular officials find out about the detention of British nationals overseas in various ways. The local authorities should inform us when they detain a British national. However, this does not always happen, particularly in the case of dual nationals in their country of other nationality. In many cases, consular officials will find out about a detention from the family, friends or the media. For these reasons, our records of detentions may not be definitive.
We do not provide consular assistance to non-national UK residents, and would not expect to be notified by the Egyptian authorities of their arrest. We cannot therefore give a figure for the number of British residents arrested on suspicion or charge of terrorist activities during this period.
Gilad Shalit
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the International Red Cross on (a) the imprisonment of Gilad Shalit by Hamas and (b) the refusal of Hamas to allow Gilad Shalit Red Cross (ICRC) visits; and if he will make a statement. [283704]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Both British Ministers and our ambassador in Israel have been in contact with Gilad Shalit's family throughout his captivity and emphasized our support for Gilad's immediate release.
On 25 June 2009, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary repeated the UK's call to Hamas for Gilad Shalit's immediate, unconditional, and safe release.
Last September, our ambassador helped to deliver over 2,000 Jewish new year cards for Gilad to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of a campaign organised by the UK Jewish community. We share the Shalit family's dismay at Hamas's refusal to allow the ICRC access to Gilad. We will continue to pursue this issue both privately and publicly.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Arab governments on (a) the imprisonment of Gilad Shalit by Hamas and (b) the refusal of Hamas to allow him Red Cross visits; and if he will make a statement. [283705]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The UK will continue to call for the immediate release of Gilad Shalit by Hamas. The Arab League has mandated Egypt to communicate with Hamas. We are in regular contact with both the Arab League and Egypt.
Both Ministers and our ambassador in Tel Aviv have had contact with Gilad Shalit's family throughout his captivity and emphasized our support. On 25 June 2009, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary repeated the UK's call for Gilad Shalit's immediate, unconditional, and safe release. We share the Shalit family's dismay at Hamas's refusal to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross access to Gilad.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take at the United Nations in relation to the imprisonment of Gilad Shalit by Hamas; and if he will make a statement. [283710]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised his concerns at the UN Security Council meeting on 11 May 2009.
Both Ministers and our ambassador in Israel have had contact with Gilad's family throughout his captivity and emphasized our support. On 25 June, the Foreign Secretary repeated the UK's call for Gilad Shalit's immediate, unconditional, and safe release. We share the Shalit family's dismay at Hamas's refusal to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross access to Gilad.
Hamas
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to ensure that aid provided by his Department is not misappropriated by Hamas; and if he will make a statement. [283711]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We are monitoring the situation closely. It is imperative that aid reach the people in Gaza who need it. We are in contact with all our partners, including the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), to make sure that Government funding is being used appropriately and that the relief items are getting to those who need them.
There are well developed international mechanisms for the delivery of aid in Gaza, principally UNRWA and the World Food Programme. We urge aid agencies to ensure that they maintain the greatest possible distance from Hamas.
India: Ethnic Groups
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Indian Government on the rights and interests of the Dongria Kondh tribe of Orissa; and if he will make a statement. [283951]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have not discussed the rights and interests of the Dongria Kondh tribe with the Indian Government. We have discussed the general rights and entitlements of tribal groups with Government of Orissa officials, under the Orissa Tribal Empowerment and Livelihoods Programme funded by the Department for International Development.
Iran: Foreign Relations
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment of the state of UK relations with Iran is; and if he will make a statement. [284946]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have made clear that the UK is committed to a positive and constructive bilateral relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and one that is based on mutual respect. But for that relationship to work, Iran’s leaders must take seriously the international community’s concerns about recent events, and about Iran’s nuclear programme.
We have made very clear our concern at the Iranian authorities’ response to post-election demonstrations, and at the expulsion of international journalists from Iran. The arrest of several locally-employed Iranian members of our embassy staff was extremely concerning. Our efforts are fully focused on securing the release of the one still-detained staff member.
Kenya: Politics and Government
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to support the Kenyan Government’s political reform programme; and if he will make a statement. [283855]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The UK has provided support to the Kenyan Government’s political reform programme through its contribution to the Annan process and the National Accord. We have provided £1.4 million (£200,000 in 2007-08 and £1.2 million in 2008-09). Additional support has been provided to civil society organisations to assist communities to reconcile and engage in the peace process. In the past two financial years, civil society support amounted to £1.2 million.
All support has jointly been managed by the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, through the Africa Conflict Prevention Programme (ACPP).
We continue to urge Kenya’s leaders to work together to ensure that the key reforms needed in Kenya are made. We will continue to offer our full support to Kofi Annan and his leadership role in the reform process.
North Korea
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken in relation to the human rights situation in North Korea in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [283948]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government take the human rights situation in North Korea extremely seriously. We are deeply concerned by continuing reports of serious, widespread and systematic human rights abuses there. We raise this issue with the North Korean Government at every appropriate opportunity. Our ambassador in Pyongyang raised our concerns most recently in February 2009 during the visit to North Korea by Lord Alton and Baroness Cox with the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Speaker of the North Korean Parliament. He emphasised the importance of dialogue on human rights and urged North Korea to accept a visit by the UN Special Rapporteur. However the North Korean Government refuse to engage.
With EU Partners we sponsored annual resolutions on North Korea human rights at the UN General Assembly (in December 2008), and at the UN Human Rights Council (in March 2009). The latter includes the mandate for the UN Special Rapporteur on North Korea Human Rights, whose work in evidence gathering we strongly support.
We have worked closely with a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) over the past year. We sponsored an NGO report on children's rights in North Korea ahead of the February 2009 periodic report by the UN Committee on the Rights of Child on North Korea. We also supported the participation of a leading UK NGO at an international conference on North Korean Human Rights in Canberra in March. We are now working with NGOs and international partners to prepare for the Universal Periodic Review of North Korea's human rights record which is scheduled to take place at the UN Human Rights Council session in December 2009. Locally, our embassy in Pyongyang has given support to the project work of Handicap International in the DPRK which is designed to help improve the rights of the disabled there, and is looking at ways to increase that activity.
Palestinians
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of Palestinian citizens previously living in Gaza who have taken refuge inside Israel; and if he will make a statement. [283653]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have not received reports on the number of Palestinian citizens previously living in Gaza who have taken refuge inside Israel.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on demolitions of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem; and if he will make a statement. [283727]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The demolition of houses in East Jerusalem is, with very few exceptions, illegal under international law. It also threatens the viability of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement in the Middle East.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear the UK’s concerns about the demolition of Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem during his statement to the UN Security Council on 11 May 2009 and it was also raised during the EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting on 15 June 2009.
The Foreign Secretary also continues to call on Israel to freeze settlement construction, including in East Jerusalem. We will continue to raise these issues as a high priority with Israel both privately and publicly; the Foreign Secretary last did so in his conversation with the Israeli Foreign Minister on 1 July 2009.
Palestinians: Borders
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of tunnels between Egypt and Gaza; what steps he is taking to assist the Government of Egypt to prevent the flow of weapons through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza; and if he will make a statement. [283715]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: With the number of tunnels discovered changing on a regular basis we are unable to provide a definitive figure.
The UK continues to work closely with the EU, US and regional partners to establish how best our expertise can be used to help to prevent the flow of weapons into Gaza, including through tunnels. We have attended meetings in Copenhagen and Ottawa and hosted one in London.
Palestinians: Health Services
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the establishment of clinics by the Government of Israel at the Erez crossing on the Gaza border; and if he will make a statement. [283713]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We are aware of the Erez clinic which opened on 18 January 2009 and closed on 28 January 2009. We understand that it treated five Palestinians injured in the conflict.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the alleged refusal of Hamas to allow Palestinian citizens in Gaza to use clinics set up by Israel; and if he will make a statement. [283714]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have not received any such report.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of Gaza residents who have entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via the Erez crossing; what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Israel on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [283716]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have not received reports on the number of people entering Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons via the Erez crossing. However, Israel needs to reduce restrictions on the movement of people in and out of Gaza.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary expressed his concerns regarding the restrictions at the Gaza crossings to the Israeli Foreign Minister on 1 July 2009. He pressed Israel to allow in humanitarian aid, reconstruction materials, and trade goods, as well as the legitimate flow of people.
Spirit of Humanity
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Israel on the interception of the vessel Spirit of Humanity and the detention of the UK citizens on board. [284786]
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken in response to the Israeli navy boarding the Gaza ship Spirit of Humanity; and if he will make a statement. [284784]
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the interception by the Israeli navy of the ship Spirit of Humanity; and if he will make a statement. [284654]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I can confirm the Israeli navy boarded the vessel “Spirit of Humanity” on 30 June 2009. The Israeli navy took control of the vessel and diverted it to Ashdod port in Israel, where all those on board, including six British nationals, were handed over to Israeli immigration officials. British consular officials have had good access to the British detainees and confirm that they are in good health and being treated well.
When my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman on 1 July 2009, he raised the issue with him and asked for clarification of whether the “Spirit of Humanity” was intercepted in international waters. We will continue to press the Israeli Government for clarification.
Trident
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his Department’s evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee’s inquiry into Global Security: Non-Proliferation, HC 222, Ev 118, what assessment he has made of the merits of suspending the Trident replacement programme in the context of negotiations to reduce warhead numbers; and if he will make a statement. [284969]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister stated on 17 March 2009, as soon as it becomes useful for our nuclear arsenal to be included in broader multilateral negotiations, Britain stands ready to participate and to act. A decision now not to renew our Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear (SSBN) submarine fleet would pre-empt any such negotiation, by committing a future Government to unilateral disarmament at the end of the current fleet’s lifespan, regardless of the strategic circumstances at that time.
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