HC Deb 19 November 1985 vol 87 c143W
Mr. David Atkinson

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on current relations with Afghanistan.

Mr. Eggar

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply of 11 November 1985 to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mr. Parry). We have no substantive relations with Afghanistan. Following the Soviet invasion in December 1979, we withdrew Her Majesty's ambassador in Kabul and suspended our aid programme to Afghanistan.

Mr. David Atkinson

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has requested the United States Government at the forthcoming summit meeting between President Reagan and Mr. Gorbachev to raise the continuing Soviet occupation of Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Eggar

In President Reagan's speech to the United Nations General Assembly on 24 October he named Afghanistan as one of the five regional conflicts which he intended to raise with Mr. Gorbachev at the Geneva summit talks.

Forward to