GSR 34: Letter to the Parliamentary Relations Team,

Foreign and Commonwealth Office from the Committee Specialist

 

 

The Foreign Affairs Committee would like to thank the Secretary of State for his response to the Committee's Second Report of Session 2007-08, Global Security: Russia.

 

The Committee has asked me to request the following further information and sight of documents, in light of the Foreign Secretary's responses to some of its recommendations as follows:

 

· Recommendation 2 (FAC Report Paragraph 31, Paragraph 8 of the Foreign Secretary's response): the Committee would like a written assessment of the conduct of Russia's 2 March Presidential election, including comment on the conditions provided for international election monitors and on the decision of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights not to send an observation mission.

 

· Recommendations 4 (FAC Report Paragraph 39, Paragraphs 10-14 of the Foreign Secretary's response) and 14 (FAC Report Paragraph 124, Paragraphs 33-37 of the Foreign Secretary's response): the Committee would like an update on the review of the UK's cooperation with Russia which the Foreign Secretary announced on 16 July 2007.

 

· Recommendation 5 (FAC Report Paragraph 70, Paragraphs 15-17 of the Foreign Secretary's response): the Committee would like to know the date of the next bilateral UK-Russia meeting on human rights, scheduled for the first half of 2008, and to receive a written update on the outcome of the meeting when it takes place.

 

· Recommendation 7 (FAC Report Paragraph 74, Paragraphs 19-20 of the Foreign Secretary's response): of the projects which were being run in Russia by DFID prior to the closure of its Russia programme in March 2007, the Committee would like to see a list of those which have been discontinued, and a list of those which have been continued in some form. The Committee would also like to receive an indication of the ways in which the FCO plans to take forward its project work with groups from the professions in Russia in the 2008-09 financial year.

 

· Recommendation 26 (FAC Report Paragraph 236, Paragraphs 62-64 of the Foreign Secretary's response): the Committee would like to request that it be given sight, in confidence, of the EU's negotiating mandate for the proposed new EU-Russia agreement, when the mandate is finalised and ready to form the basis for the negotiations. While the Committee fully understands why-in line with normal practice-the EU negotiating mandate is not public, it regards as problematic the Government's reliance on a non-public document in order to justify its stance with respect to the Committee's recommendation; the Committee would therefore like to be able to see the document.

 

· Recommendation 37 (FAC Report Paragraph 314, Paragraphs 88-89 of the Foreign Secretary's response): the Committee would like an update on the Government's engagement with Russia in pursuit of an Arms Trade Treaty following the first meeting of the relevant UN Group of Government Experts in February 2008.

 

It would be extremely helpful if the Committee could receive the FCO's response by 31 March 2008 where possible.

 

 

3 March 2008