§ Lord AVEBURYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to check alleged diversions of humanitarian food supplies made available by Britain or the EEC for the people of Ethiopia.
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, our information is that the food aid supplied by the United Kingdom for humanitarian purposes has benefited the intended recipients in Ethiopia. I understand that the European Commission take a similar view on Community aid.
§ Lord AVEBURYMy Lords, is the Minister aware that I hold in my hand a photograph showing a sack labelled, "Wheat: Gift of the European Economic Communities for free distribution", and another one showing a sack labelled, "Given by the Italian People", which was captured on the battlefield of Nacfa by the Eritrean People's Liberation Forces from the Ethiopian Armed Forces? Did not the noble Lord the Minister say to me that it would be naive to assume that no diversion of humanitarian assistance occurred in Ethiopia, and that he did not know how much had taken place? In view of these facts, should not the EEC and the British donors, in particular, carry out a thorough investigation to discover the extent of illegal diversion of humanitarian supplies, and decide whether or not they should continue?
§ Lord TREFGARNEYes indeed, my Lords, but we have to make our judgment on the basis of the evidence available to us. 1184 The present evidence available to us is that no substantial diversion of this aid occurs. If the noble Lord had evidence to the contrary, I would gladly look at it.
§ Lord AVEBURYMy Lords, did not the noble Lord say that this evidence had come from higher up the chain? Is it not intrinsically unlikely that such evidence, which would have to emanate from within the rehabilitation agency of the Ethiopian Government, would become known to us or to anybody in the outside world? Therefore, is it not possible for the noble Lord to suggest to the EEC that a representative be sent to check thoroughly on the spot all allegations of illegal diversion and, in particular, to look at what has happened on the battlefields of Eritrea?
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, we have our own representative in Ethiopia in the form of our ambassador, who has made a special point of looking into this matter, and, as I said earlier, we have no evidence of substantial diversion.