Hansard - United Kingdom Parliament

23W
Written Answers
20 JUNE 2011
Written Answers
24W
energy efficiency, and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies,
to reduce demand for oil and transition to the low
carbon economy.
Saudi Arabia: Armed forces
Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions
he has had with the government in Saudi Arabia on the
(a) presence and (b) timetable for withdrawal of Saudi
military forces in Bahrain. [58989]
Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member
for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), met the Saudi Foreign
Minister, Prince Saud, during his visit to the UK on 22
March 2011. Prince Saud confirmed that Gulf Co-operation
Council (GCC) Peninsula Shield Forces would remain
in Bahrain for as long as the Bahraini Government
requested their presence. GCC forces had been legitimately
invited by the Bahraini Government to protect the
country’s institutions.
The Secretary of State has not discussed a timetable
for withdrawal of the GCC Peninsula Shield Forces
from Bahrain with Prince Saud or the Bahraini
Government.
Serbia: Kosovo
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports
he has received on progress in talks between the governments
of Serbia and Kosovo on a final settlement of outstanding
disputes; and if he will make a statement. [60047]
Mr Lidington: There have been four meetings of the
EU-facilitated Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
The most recent meeting took place on 17-18 May, in
Brussels. The Dialogue has so far discussed a number of
important practical issues, including registry of civil
and cadastral records, freedom of movement,
telecommunications and energy.
In forthcoming rounds of the Dialogue, I urge the
Governments of Kosovo and Serbia to engage
constructively and flexibly with a view to reaching
agreements on these and all other relevant issues as
soon as possible. With political will on both sides, the
Dialogue will build practical co-operation between Kosovo
and Serbia that can improve the lives of citizens throughout
Kosovo, and move both countries in a more stable
manner towards EU accession.
Sri Lanka: Missing Persons
Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State
for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent
discussions he has had with (a) the government of Sri
Lanka, (b) the United Nations and (c) Commonwealth
countries on Commonwealth citizens with Tamil ethnicity
who have disappeared in Sri Lanka since the end of the
civil war in that country. [60958]
Alistair Burt: We have regularly raised our concern
over the whereabouts of civilians unaccounted for since
the end of the war and, in particular we have pressed for
the release of detainee lists. I raised this issue with the
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister most recently when we
spoke on 14 June. Disappearances have not however
been limited to those with Tamil ethnicity—Sinhala
journalists and opposition activists have also disappeared.
The number of disappearances has fallen since the end
of the war, but disappearances continue.
Officials discuss the situation in Sri Lanka with
international partners, both within the Commonwealth
and more widely on a regular basis. Our high commission
in Colombo is also in touch with UN colleagues about
protection of civilians by UN agencies.
UN World Conference Against Racism
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign
and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make it his
policy to withdraw from the UN Durban III anti-racism
conference; what recent discussions he has had with (a)
his EU counterparts, (b) the US Administration and
(c) the Government of Israel on this issue; what recent
representations he has received (i) supporting and (ii)
opposing a withdrawal from the conference; and if he
will make a statement; [60656]
(2) what reports he has received of the withdrawal of
governmental delegations from the UN Durban III
Conference; and if he will make a statement. [60680]
Mr Jeremy Browne: We voted against the resolution
at last year’s UN General Assembly which established a
High-Level meeting of the UN General Assembly in
September 2011 to commemorate the Tenth Anniversary
of the Adoption of the Durban Declaration and
Programme of Action. The Government recognise that
it is common practice for the UN to convene meetings
at regular periodic intervals to commemorate the adoption
of its various social and human rights-related agendas.
For these reasons, we were ready to agree to a limited
commemorative event. However, in light of the lengthy
and difficult 2009 Durban Review Conference, we felt
the proposed size and scope of the 2011 event was
inappropriate.
We have not yet taken a final decision on our participation
in the 2011 high-level meeting. We will nonetheless
work closely with EU and colleagues from other countries
in the run-up to the September event to try to ensure
that the meeting does not become another platform for
the kind of anti-Semitic rhetoric and behaviour that
was evident at the 2001 World Conference against Racism
and to a lesser extent at the 2009 Durban Review
Conference. We will also work to make sure that the
meeting addresses all forms of racism, including anti-
Semitism, and that any outcome from the meeting
includes a clear statement on the need to combat anti-
Semitism as part of wider efforts to tackle racism.
We are aware that the Government of the United
States of America has recently announced its decision
not to participate in the September 2011 event. Their
announcement follows that of the Governments of Canada
and Israel. To date, we have not received reports that
any other government has decided against participation.
The Government’s participation and representation
at the September meeting will remain under review in
light of our efforts to achieve our objectives as set out
above. We will also engage with interested British nongovernmental
organisations in reaching our final decision.