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Hong Kong: Report to Parliament
Lord Morris of Castle Morris asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they plan to publish the first of the reports to Parliament on Hong Kong and the implementation of the Joint Declaration.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The first such report, covering the period January-June 1997, was published yesterday and a copy has been placed in the Libraries of the House. The report includes a foreword written by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
I commend the report to the House.
Business: Short-term Overseas Attachments
Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether there will be an increase in the number of businessmen on short-term attachments at posts overseas.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We made a commitment in our Business Manifesto to improve the focus of our efforts to back British business selling abroad, to enhance the co-ordination of government
trade and investment promotion, and to promote business secondments with this department.The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs was pleased to announce that we have secured a commitment from a number of leading companies to lend members of their staff to this department to work on specific promotions or projects overseas for periods of a few months. These people will provide valuable expertise to support and promote the activities of the commercial sections of our overseas posts. Each attachment will have a specific focus, such as privatisation projects, inward investment promotion, management of commercial promotions, marketing of UK financial services, or identifying market opportunities in specific sectors.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs welcomed the wholehearted support for this initiative of the CBI. They have encouraged a number of their members to participate from the outset, including British Airways, BOC, ICL, Wimpey, British Aerospace, BT, British Steel, BNFL, BUPA, HSBC and Glaxo Wellcome. Other companies have expressed a strong interest, and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is confident that more attachments will be arranged in the coming months.
This is a commitment to a rolling programme of attachments to strengthen our partnership with business. In the longer term we hope that companies will be able to second suitable staff to serve as part of the established commercial teams in overseas posts, and in return provide opportunities for this department's staff to hone their business skills by hosting secondments.
Council of Europe Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity
Lord Kirkhill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they intend to join the Council of Europe's partial agreement for a European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We are considering whether the United Kingdom should participate in a variety of international bodies in the context of the comprehensive review of expenditure. Once that review has been completed, we shall be better placed to take a decision on United Kingdom membership of the Council of Europe's partial agreement for a European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity (North/South Centre).
Council of Europe Social Development Fund
Lord Kirkhill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will now apply on behalf of the United Kingdom to join the Council of Europe's Social Development Fund.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We are considering whether the United Kingdom should participate in a variety of international bodies in the context of the comprehensive review of expenditure.
Once that review has been completed, we shall be better placed to take a decision on United Kingdom membership of the Council of Europe's Social Development Fund.North Atlantic Assembly: UK Delegation
Lord Dean of Beswick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Who is on the United Kingdom delegation to the North Atlantic Assembly.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The following will represent the United Kingdom at the North Atlantic Assembly:
- Mr. Donald Anderson MP (Leader)
- Mr. Hugh Bayley MP
- Mr. Menzies Campbell MP
- Mr. Harry Cohen MP
- Mr. Frank Cook MP
- The Rt Hon Sir Peter Emery MP
- Mr. Bruce George MP
- The Lord Gladwyn of Clee
- Mr. Mike Hancock MP
- Mrs Sylvia Heal MP
- The Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith MP
- The Lord Kennet
- Alice Mahon MP
- Mr. Michael Mates MP
- Mr. John Smith MP
- Rachel Squire MP
- Mr. Peter Viggers MP
- The Rt Hon Alan Williams MP
International Criminal Court
Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they support the creation of an International Criminal Court able to prosecute any individual for genocide, aggression, war crimes and other crimes against humanity without incurring a veto by national governments.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We support the creation of an International Criminal Court. Our policy on various detailed matters relating to the jurisdiction and functioning of the court is still under consideration.
Sudan: Peace Initiatives
Lord McNair asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What practical steps they have taken (a) to support and (b) to encourage the implementation of the April 1997 General Peace Agreement signed between the Government of Sudan and six rebel factions in Sudan.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We are in regular contact with all parties to the conflict and continue to stress the need to resolve the civil war through a comprehensive negotiated settlement. We note that the 21 April Peace Agreement contains positive elements, notably the provisions on respect for human rights and self-determination for the south, but that the main opposition groups fighting the government are not party to the agreement. We have also welcomed the news that the Sudanese Government have accepted the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development's Declaration of Principles as the basis for talks with the SPLA and look forward to early negotiations. We fully support IGAD's efforts to bring peace to Sudan and are ready to consider any way to help that process.
Lord McNair asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they have taken to discourage the external military escalation of the Sudanese conflict.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We welcome efforts by the OAU and regional states to resolve the conflict in Sudan through dialogue. With our European partners, we have encouraged regional leaders, particularly President Moi, who currently chairs the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to pursue these efforts.
Turkey: UK Diplomatic Visits to Emergency Region
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When was the last occasion on which an official from the UK Embassy in Ankara visited the emergency region; which places the official visited; whether the official was able to converse directly with people in Kurdish or Turkish; whether those conversations were held in the absence of Turkish officials or members of the security forces; and whether any attempt was made on this or any other visit to the region to assess the destruction of villages and parts of larger towns.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The last visit to the region under emergency rule in Turkey was made by our Ambassador in November 1996. He visited Diyarbakir, Mardin and Midyat and was able to converse with contacts in Turkish. He was accompanied to some, but not all, calls by a Turkish security escort. The subject of village clearances is one which every visit to the region addresses. The next visit to the region is planned for early September, again by Turkish-speaking staff. Our Embassy is in regular contact by telephone with human rights and other organisations in the region.
Turkey: Heroin Traffic
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they are taking any special measures, in co-operation with other EU states to prevent the
- importation of heroin from Turkey; and whether they will ask the Turkish authorities for details of investigations of links between prominent members of the True Path party and the drug barons.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We are deeply concerned about the flow of heroin to the UK, the great majority of which is produced in or transits Turkey from opium poppy grown in South West Asia. We work closely with our EU partners and are also developing valuable collaboration with the Turkish authorities to tackle drug trafficking and target the criminals behind it. We are following with interest the Turkish investigations into alleged links between parliamentarians and people involved in the illicit drug trade.
Cambodia
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How the European Union intends to encourage Cambodia to comply with the 1991 Paris accords.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The EU has condemned the use of force in Cambodia and pressed for a return to constitutional government. It has called on the Cambodians to reaffirm their commitment to hold free and fair elections in May 1998. The EU is undertaking contacts with King Sihanouk, Prince Ranariddh and Hun Sen, and supports the mediation initiatives of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
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