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Lord McNair asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which British citizens have been murdered in the course of their work in Sudan since 1983, who was
- responsible for the murders and whether those responsible have been brought to justice.[HL1266]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Our records go back only as far as 1987; since then we do not have records of any British citizens having been murdered in Sudan.
Turkey
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether, in the interests of free and fair elections due in April 1999, they will discuss with the Government of Turkey the release of recently arrested lawyers and members and employees of legitimate political parties.[HL1283]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We have raised the intimidation of members and employees of the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) with the Turkish authorities on numerous occasions. We are concerned at the continuing reports of arrests and harassment of HADEP party officials and supporters. We are closely monitoring the case against HADEP in the Turkish Constitutional Court. We will continue to reiterate to the Turkish authorities the importance the international community attaches to the treatment of democratic parties pursuing their policies by peaceful means.
Gibraltar and the EU
Lord Merrivale asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will take political steps to amend the legislation on direct elections with regard to Gibraltar's continuing disenfranchisement; and what steps they will take if Spain vetoes their initiative.[HL1304]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We are already taking such steps. The UK Permanent Representative to the European Union informed the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) in Brussels on 4 March of our intention to seek an amendment to the 1976 EC Act on Direct Elections in the current negotiations in Brussels on establishing Common Principles for European Parliamentary elections. Our embassies have taken parallel action in EU capitals. It would be premature to comment on the expected outcome of these negotiations, which are expected to take some months.
Viscount Waverley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which dependent territories linked to European Union member states carry the same status as Gibraltar.[HL1310]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The overseas territories of member states participate in the European Union in a variety of ways. While there are similarities with Gibraltar in some instances, Gibraltar's overall status is unique.
Viscount Waverley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which dependent territories linked to European Union member states are able to exercise a right to vote in the forthcoming European parliamentary elections.[HL1311]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The dependent territories which are able to vote in European parliamentary elections are the French Territories d'Outre-Mer (New Calendonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futana) and Collectivities Territoriales (Mayotte, St. Pierre and Miquelon). Other overseas territories which can vote in European parliamentary elections are part of the metropolitan member state for constitutional purposes and are not dependent territories. These include the Azores and Madeira in Portugal, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla in Spain, the Aland Islands in Finland and the French Departments d'Outre Mers.
Viscount Waverley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What are the differences in status between Ceuta and Gibraltar.[HL1312]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The main difference is a constitutional one: Gibraltar is an overseas territory of the UK while Ceuta is deemed part of metropolitan Spain. Though each is within the European Union under a different provision of the Treaty of Rome, similar derogations in respect of the Community Customs Territory, VAT and the common agricultural and fisheries policies apply to both. Gibraltar transposes EC directives by local legislation while Ceuta relies on the legislature in Madrid. Ceuta participates in European parliamentary elections. At present Gibraltar does not.
Meetings with Foreign Governments Inside and Outside the EU
Viscount Waverley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- (a) which heads of government, foreign or trade Ministers from outside the European Union have since 1 May 1997 requested through their High Commissioners or Ambassadors a meeting with the Prime Minister, a Secretary of State or a Minister;
(b) what such meetings have taken place; and
(c) what further such meetings have been arranged; giving in each case in (b) and (c) the date of the meeting and the British Minister involved.[HL1313]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Government have received, and continue to receive, regular visits from heads of government, foreign, trade and other Ministers from outside the European Union. No central record of such visits is kept. Nor is a central record kept of requests for meetings.
It is the Government's policy to maintain good relations and a dialogue with all countries and we are conscious that our relationships with members of the European Union should not be to the detriment of relations with countries outside the Union.
General Pinochet: Vatican Representations
Lord Lamont of Lerwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 18 February (WA 86), who, other than the Foreign Secretary, has seen the representations from the Vatican about General Pinochet.[HL1336]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The letter, from a senior level in the Vatican to the Prime Minister, was received by our Embassy to the Holy See on 27 November and forwarded to the Foreign Office. It was passed to the Prime Minister's office and to the Home Office.
Lord Lamont of Lerwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 18 February (WA 86), on what date the representations from the Vatican about General Pinochet were received.[HL1337]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The letter was received on 27 November.
Kosovo Liberation Army
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether, as reportedly stated by the Albanian Foreign Minister, Mr. Paskal Milo, the United States at Rambouillet (or elsewhere) has guaranteed the NATO presence in Kosovo, which will support the establishment of democratic institutions in the transitional period and has guaranteed that the UCK (the Kosovo Liberation Army) would be assisted in its professionalisation and adjustment of Kosovo's political and military life by becoming part of the Kosovo military forces, with direct funding from the United States and with an official in the United States State Department designated to carry out this work; and, if so, whether these arrangements (a) have been agreed by the Contact Group; (b) explicitly form part of the Rambouillet agreements that the Serbian authorities have been invited to agree; or (c) are compatible
with the arms control provisions of those agreements. [HL1341]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: This is a question that should be addressed to the Government of the United States.
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What information, as members of the Contact Group, they have concerning the sources of weapons,
- training, supplies and funding for the Kosovo Liberation Army in recent months; whether there is to be any limitation on such provisions; and, if so, how such limitations are to be enforced.[HL1342]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Media and other reports suggest that Kosovo Albanians living in Europe and elsewhere are actively involved in fund-raising for the UCK. The Contact Group have no firm evidence concerning sources of weapons and training.
Under UN Security Council Resolution 1160 all states are obliged to prevent the sale or supply to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including Kosovo, of arms and related material, and arming or training for terrorist activities there.
Our responsibilities under this resolution are clear. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (United Nations Sanctions) Order 1998 implemented the arms embargo imposed by the Resolution in UK law. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (United Nations Sanctions) (Amendment) Order 1999 came into effect on 12 February. The order makes it an offence to provide training or training facilities to assist in the carrying out of acts of terrorism in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, whether the training takes place outside or inside the United Kingdom.
Parliamentary Counsel Office
Lord Simon of Glaisdale asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the Prime Minister has delegated any aspect of his responsibility for the general conduct of the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to any other Minister; if so, what aspect and to which Minister; and in particular whether this includes responsibility for observing the recommendations of the Renton Committee on Preparation of Legislation.[HL1328]
The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Jay of Paddington): The position remains as stated in Chapter III of the Renton Committee Report on The Preparation of Legislation; namely,
- "The Prime Minister, as Minister for the Civil Service, is responsible for the administration of the Parliamentary Counsel Office, but Ministerial responsibility for the drafting of any particular Bill lies with the Minister in charge of the Bill. The Leader of the House of Commons is responsible in general for the Government's legislative programme, but not for the contents of any Bill unless she is one of its sponsors".
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