§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he and the European Union have been making to the Indonesian Government about the future of East Timor leader Xanana Gusmao.
§ Mr. GoodladWe have made representations to the Indonesian Government about the importance of International Committee of the Red Cross access to Gusmao, and his humane treatment while in detention.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington) of 28 March,Official Report, column 544, if he will set out the criteria he adopts to evaluate the reliability of information sources on the number of deaths that have taken place in East Timor since the Indonesian takeover.
§ Mr. GoodladWe understand that none of those who have quoted figures for the numbers killed in East Timor support their estimates with detailed recorded statistics.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Lewisham, East of 29 March,Official Report, column 617, what considerations led him to conclude that sanctions against Indonesia over East Timor's occupation will not be either (a) appropriate or (b) effective.
§ Mr. GoodladSanctions would not, in our view, bring about a change in the circumstances of East Timor. We believe that the current dialogue between Indonesia and Portugal under the United Nations Secretary-General's auspices offers the best prospect for reaching agreement on a just, comprehensive and internationally acceptable settlement on the future of the territory.