§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has held with which organisations with regard to prisoners of war in the Yei district of southern Sudan; and if he will make a statement. [28662]
§ Mr. FatchettOur Embassy in Khartoum are in touch with other donors and international agencies about the welfare of these prisoners. We shall continue to support efforts to facilitate access to these people and to persuade their captors, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), to move them away from the vicinity of military targets.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government policy towards the Khartoum Peace Agreement. [28663]
§ Mr. FatchettThe Agreement contains positive elements, notably the commitments to self-determination and to respect for human rights. But the main group fighting the Government of Sudan, the Sudan People's Liberation Army, is not a party. They prefer to pursue the regional peace initiative of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development which has the support of the British and other western governments. We have urged the Government of Sudan to demonstrate its commitment to peace by implementation of the Khartoum Agreement's clauses on human rights and by improving its treatment of Southerners. We have yet to see significant progress on this.