§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What information thy have about 909 Iraqi citizens and 604 Kuwaiti citizens and others detained or imprisoned in Iraq without trial: whether they will seek access by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) or other human rights monitors to all prisons and places of detention in Iraq in order to ascertain the fate of these persons; and whether they consider that a further United Nations resolution would be helpful. [HL782]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)The Iraqi regime has an appalling human rights record both where its own citizens and third country nationals are concerned. The most recent report of the UN Special Rapporteur, Max Van Der Stoel, on Iraq made clear that "widespread, systematic and serious violations of human rights continue in Iraq".
19WAThe ICRC and other NGOs have frequently sought and been denied access by the Iraqi regime to prisons and detention centres.
Security Council Resolution 687 requires Iraq to extend all necessary co-operation to the ICRC to provide access to Kuwaiti detainees held since the Gulf war. Iraq has consistently failed to abide by this.
The UK will work with EU partners for a resolution on Iraq at the forthcoming 54th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend that the resolution now being drafted in the United Nations Security Council will clearly establish who is to determine (a) whether the terms recently signed up to by the United Nations Secretary General and the Government of Iraq are being breached; and (b) whether a military attack on Iraq may, in consequence, lawfully be launched. [HL808]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe resolution that the noble Lord refers to was adopted by the Security Council on 2 March as SCR 1154.
The text of the resolution makes three things clear; that the Security Council gives full backing to the agreement reached with Iraq by the UN Secretary General: that Iraq will face the severest consequences if it violates the terms of the agreement; that if Iraq complies in full sanctions can be lifted.