§ 37. Mr. RaynsfordTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional resources his Department is able to deploy to relieve famine and starvation in the Sudan.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Mark Lennox-Boyd)On 18 March, my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development made a further pledge of £4 million to support the work of non-governmental organisations and international agencies in Sudan.
§ Mr. RaynsfordDoes the Minister recognise that the appalling suffering in Sudan demands firm and concerted international action? What are the Government doing to help to bring maximum pressure to bear on the Sudanese Government to respect the rule of law and the rights of all their citizens and to allow free and unfettered access by the international aid organisations to bring aid to those in need?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydAs my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 6 May, the Government and, I am sure, the whole House, fully share the fears expressed by the hon. Gentleman about the suffering in Sudan. We have taken a leading role in measures adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights. We have warned the Sudanese Government in strong terms against further interference with the free passage of international aid. Only last week Dr. Garang, the SPLA leader, who was in London, was given a similar warning about those problems by officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.