HC Deb 15 March 1995 vol 256 cc583-4W
Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with his United States counterpart as to the capacity and intention of Saddam Hussein in respect of the rebuilding of weapons of mass destruction; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Davis

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has regular contact with his United States and other counterparts about Iraqi compliance with UN Security Council resolutions.

We continue to support the work of the UN Special Commission—UNSCOM—in its task of eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and setting up a monitoring regime to ensure that no regeneration of such weapons can take place.

Ambassador Ekeus will be presenting his next six-monthly report to the UN Security Council in April in which he will assess whether Iraq's past chemical, biological, ballistic and nuclear weapons have been fully accounted for and eliminated, whether Iraq's current capacity is understood, and whether the UNSCOM—IAEA monitoring and verification operation will be sufficient to detect such weapons in the future.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment as to the capacity and intention of the regime of Saddam Hussein to rebuild weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. David Davis

Iraq's record to date gives us good0 reason to believe that the regime will try to re-activate its programmes of weapons of mass destruction if allowed to do so. Hence our belief in the importance of full implementation of the UN Special Commission and International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring plans which place relevant industrial, academic and civil establishments under close supervision.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the leaders of Iraqi Kurdish groups or to Iraqi resistance groups that they should seek a dialogue with the regime of Saddam Hussein; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

It is up to the Iraqi opposition themselves to decide whether to engage in dialogue with the regime of Saddam Hussein. We do not suggest that they do so; neither will we discourage them if that is their wish.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what reports he has received relating to the bombardment by forces loyal to Saddam Hussein of the town of Arbil in Northern Iraq with long-range artillery;

(2) what reports he has received indicating attacks by forces loyal to Saddam Husssein on areas of northern Iraq under the control of Kurdish and Iraqi resistance forces; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington) on 13 March,Official Report, column 377. We have seen no clear evidence that Iraqi forces have recently mounted fresh offensive operations in northern Iraq. However, given the continued tension in the area, and the history of brutality by the Iraqi regime towards the Iraqi Kurds, we will continue to keep the situation under close review.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has reached as to whether the regime of Saddam Hussein still has access to stocks of anthrax bacteria.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

The Iraqi regime has access to anthrax bacteria which can be obtained from clinical and environmental samples within Iraq. The monitoring regime now being established by UNSCOM under the terms of UN Security Council resolution 687 aims to ensure that Iraq does not use such material for weapons purposes.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking or will take to guarantee the safe havens of northern Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

Aircraft from the US, United Kingdom and France patrol a no-fly zone north of 36 deg north in support of Security Council resolution 688 which demands that Iraq ends its repression of its civilian population.

The purpose of the patrols is to monitor the movements of Iraqi troops close to the Kurdish areas of northern Iraq.

We continue to press Iraq to comply with all the demands in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolution.