§ 9. Mr. LesterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current position in Angola. [30903]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Tony Baldry)During a recent visit to Angola, my right hon and noble Friend Baroness Chalker was assured by both parties of their commitment to a successful outcome to the peace process.
§ Mr. LesterMay I preface my question by giving my personal thanks to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on behalf of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, of which I am the longest-serving Conservative member? I am very grateful for the relationship that we have had in terms of the work that the Committee has sought to do for the House.
Does not the case of Angola need to be carefully analysed? The UN operation during the original election was relatively underfunded and underworked and the consequences of that included a breakdown of the proposals, the loss of many hundreds of lives and a greater cost of trying to put together a destroyed and war-ravaged country.
§ Mr. BaldryMy hon. Friend is right that there are many lessons to be learnt from what has happened in Angola. I am glad to say that the May meeting between President Dos Santos and Dr. Savimbi has given fresh impetus to the peace process. There is still much to be done, but the prospects for peace are brighter now than at any time since the elections in 1992. The House should remember that the United Kingdom is doing much to support the peace process. In particular, since May we have provided some 645 troops from a UK logistics battalion, who are doing excellent work in helping UN forces to deploy in Angola.
§ Mr. GrocottDoes the Minister agree that if the peace process is to succeed after many years of the most devastating war there is an urgent need for an international programme of reconstruction? Has the UN set a date for its conference on reconstruction? If not, what steps are the Government taking to bring about that conference?
§ Mr. BaldryWe have provided about £30 million in emergency aid since June 1993, and we are encouraging longer-term development work through the Angola development fund which is dealing with long-term reconstruction. We are trying simultaneously to help the UN troops and, through the Angola development fund, to help in the longer-term reconstruction.