§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have offered condolences to Guatemala following the murder of Bishop J. Gerardi Conedera; and what is being done internationally to assist the implementation of the 1996 peace agreement and the resettlement of 1 million refugees and 200,000 orphans. [HL1784]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe UK presidency issued a declaration on behalf of the European Union on 30 April. This expressed condolences, urged the Guatemalan Government to make every effort to bring those responsible to justice and encouraged all Guatemalans not to let the murder distract them from full implementation of the peace accords. The international donor community committed US $1.9 billion to the peace programme in 1997, including 200mecu from the EC. The donor community will review progress on the programme at the next consultative group meeting in Brussels on 23–24 June.
The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Tony Lloyd, has also sent a message to the Foreign Minister of Guatemala about the murder and our support for the peace programme.