§ 34. Mr. Tom ClarkeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what political support Her Majesty's Government are giving to the Kurds of northern Iraq; and if he will make a statement on his Department's contacts with the Kurdish political parties. [69455]
§ Mr. FatchettAs one of the co-sponsors of the Ankara Peace Process, we support the building of peace and stability for the Kurds in Iraq. RAF aircraft continue to participate in Operation Northern Watch, which plays a major role in protecting the people of northern Iraq from repression. Our bilateral aid programme for northern Iraq amounts to some £3 million a year.
We have kept in close contact with the Kurdish Diplomatic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan as their leaders have worked towards reconciliation. We remain ready to assist that process in any way we can. We welcomed the agreement reached in Washington in September 1998 and have discussed with the parties' leaders here in London how we can help make the agreement work in practice. In addition to regular meetings with representatives of these and other Iraqi Kurdish groups in London, officials from our Embassy in Ankara also make periodic visits to northern Iraq to meet Kurdish leaders.