§ Lord Dulverton asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ What support they are prepared to give to Jordan to alleviate the consequences of the Gulf war.
§ Lord ReayMy Lords, we have a long-standing bilateral aid programme for Jordan and that will continue. We provided close to £11 million in humanitarian aid last year, both bilaterally and through the European Community, and have added over £3 million this year. In addition the European Community is making £105 million available to alleviate the effects of the Gulf crisis, of which the United Kingdom's share will be £20 million.
§ Lord DulvertonMy Lords, I thank my noble friend on the Front Bench for that Answer. Perhaps I may ask him this supplementary question. Is he aware that evacuees passing through Jordan from August to December 1990 numbered 800,000 and that Jordanians and Palestinians returning to Jordan from Kuwait numbered 200,000, in addition to the enormous number of Palestinian refugees already in Jordan? Is my noble friend also aware that the children among those refugees, who have to be placed in schools and universities within Jordan, number 57,000 and that there is no room for them?
§ Lord ReayYes, my Lords. According to the figures that I have, Jordan received between 700,000 and 800,000 foreign nationals from Iraq and Kuwait during the early days of the Gulf crisis. We greatly appreciated Jordan's efforts to ease their plight.
§ Lord Hatch of LusbyMy Lords, can the noble Lord say from the figures that he gave the House whether there was an increase in the allocation last year? Is it the case that the United States has reduced its aid since the Gulf war?
§ Lord ReayMy Lords, I cannot comment on the position of the United States. In the case of the United Kingdom, as I said, Britain has a long-standing bilateral aid programme. That amounted to £4.7 million in 1990-91 and is expected to be £5.23 million in the current financial year. We also urged early disbursement of European Community aid.
§ Lord Cledwyn of PenrhosMy Lords, we welcome the Government's attitude towards aid to Jordan at this time, recognising that Jordan has suffered a great deal as a result of the war, partly because of the Jordanian Government's stance towards Iraq and towards the coalition. Is it not the case, as my noble friend said, that the United States stopped aid to Jordan on 10th April last, thus depriving Jordan of a very substantial sum of money? Can the Minister say when the Gulf Co-operation Council, which could provide additional aid to Jordan, is meeting next? As the noble Lord is aware, Jordan is in a parlous economic position at the present time. Are the Government supporting aid from the Gulf Co-operation Council?
§ Lord ReayMy Lords, I am afraid that I do not have the answer to the question which the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition asks regarding the Gulf Co-operation Council. Nor, as I said, can I answer any question with regard to United States aid. The noble Lord is correct in saying that Jordan has long been a valued friend in the region and that that friendship was under some strain during the Gulf crisis. Jordan remains a force for moderation and stability in the region. We remain in close contact with Jordan and believe that it has an important role to play in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East.
§ Lord MayhewMy Lords, while I appreciate what the noble Lord said in his last answer, does he not 3 agree that from the start to the finish of the war the King of Jordan was acting under duress and that for nearly 40 years before the Gulf war he was a force for sense and sanity in the Middle East? Does he recall the statement of Mr. Baker on 1st March that the Americans were forgiving and forgetting Jordan's role in the war? Can we take it from the noble Lord's answers that the same goes for the British Government?
§ Lord ReayMy Lords, I agree with the noble Lord that the Jordanian leadership was placed in a difficult position because of Jordan's dependence on supplies of Iraqi oil and because of the high proportion of Palestinians in Jordan and the high degree of popular support for Saddam Hussein. I repeat that Jordan has long been a valued friend in the region and we believe that it is a force for moderation and stability there.
§ The Earl of OnslowMy Lords, how long does my noble friend assume that aid to Jordan will go on? Will it be for the foreseeable future and into the next century? Can we go on for ever aiding such countries?
§ Lord MolloyMy Lords, are the Government at least in reasonably close touch with the Jordanian ambassador at the Court of St. James, a situation which makes being an ambassador worthwhile? The Government normally adopt that posture; is it being maintained?
§ Lord ReayMy Lords, as I said, we remain in close contact with Jordan. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State visited Jordan in January and my honourable friend the Minister of State was there last month. Both of them held talks with King Hussein and contacts at that level will continue.
§ Lord Mowbray and StourtonMy Lords, although I understand what my noble friend said about the embarrassment of the Jordanian Government in the recent crisis, is it nevertheless sensible to assume that one can continue to give aid, however moderating an influence King Hussein is, if the Jordanian Government continue to break sanctions, assuming that we continue to apply them?
§ Lord ReayMy Lords, so far as I am aware, Jordan enforced sanctions to the best of her ability. She invited the sanctions committee to monitor her performance by putting observers on the border. There were some violations of the embargo by private businessmen, but we are satisfied that the authorities worked to prevent them.