§ Lord Mayhewasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it remains their view that the Palestine Liberation Organisation should be associated with negotiations for a peaceful settlement in Palestine; and which specific terrorist acts committed within the past three years they attribute to the organisation.
§ Lord BelsteadOn the first point, yes. Our policy on the association of the Palestine Liberation Organisation with negotiations remains as set out in the Venice Declaration. We consider that the Palestine Liberation Organisation have in recent years moved towards accepting that their objectives can best be furthered by negotiation, but there is still need for clarity. The attribution of responsibility for terrorist attacks is often difficult, but we have left no one in any doubt of the strength of our stand against terrorism whoever is responsible for it.