§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Iran's capability to produce(a) nuclear and (b) chemical and biological weapons. [104880]
§ Mr. HainIn conjunction with other Government Departments, we regularly assess the status of efforts by a number of countries to develop or acquire weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them. Such assessments draw heavily on intelligence sources and we are therefore unable to comment further.
Iran is a Non-Nuclear-Weapon State Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and a State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention. We continue to encourage Iran to respect these treaties and to comply fully with its obligations under them.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ask Iran officially to recognise Israel. [104879]
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§ Mr. HainThe Foreign Secretary had lengthy discussions with the Iranian Foreign Minister about the situation in the Middle East and the peace process in the course of Dr. Kharrazi's recent visit. We pressed him for Iran to take a more positive position on the peace process. Iranian recognition of Israel does not look likely for the moment.
§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received that persons executed for criminal offences in Iran are political dissidents. [104780]
§ Mr. HainWe and our EU partners have on a number of occasions reminded the Iranian Government of our opposition to the death penalty, and our concern that it be used with utmost restraint. Our information is that the majority of executions in Iran are for drug-related offences. We and our EU partners have raised with Iran our concern over particular death sentences, notably against members of the Baha'i community and against students involved in the July 1999 demonstrations.
§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to Iran concerning its attempts to obtain fissile material and technology for weapons development. [104784]
§ Mr. HainWe regularly raise with the Iranians our concerns over reports that Iran has a nuclear weapons programme, most recently during last week's visit to the UK by Dr. Kamal Kharrazi, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The visit resulted in a Joint Declaration, signed by Dr. Kharrazi and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, in which the UK and Iran agreed to continue mutual co-operation to reinforce international efforts aimed at eliminating weapons of mass destruction and reiterated the importance of implementing the international conventions to which both have adhered, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press the Iranian Government to grant equal opportunities in education and employment to Baha'i, Christian and Jewish Iranians. [104781]
§ Mr. HainWe and our EU partners regularly raise our concerns over certain Iranian human rights policies with the Iranian authorities. The EU sponsored United Nations General Assembly resolution on human rights in Iran adopted on 18 November featured prominently international concerns about treatment of religious minorities. The Iranian authorities are fully aware that we and our EU partners consider persecution on religious grounds to be unacceptable.
§ Mr. GapesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the United States Government regarding the foreign policy of Iran. [104769]
§ Mr. HainWe and our EU partners regularly discuss policy towards Iran, with the US as well as matters relating to Iranian foreign policy, as I did in Washington last month.
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§ Mr. Stephen TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many reports he has received in the last two years regarding the activities of the Revolutionary Guards in Iran. [104998]
§ Mr. HainOur Embassy in Tehran provides comprehensive reporting on the full range of public policy and other issues in Iran, including those relating to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the names of people currently awaiting extradition from Iran to the United Kingdom. [105005]
§ Mr. HainThere is no extradition treaty between the United Kingdom and Iran. We are not aware of anybody facing extradition from Iran to the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Iranian Government concerning the(a) financing, (b) equipping, (c) provision of training locations and (d) provision of refuge from extradition to Hamas, Hezbollah and Pale stinian Islamic Jihad by the Iranian Government. [105004]
§ Mr. HainIranian opposition to the Middle East peace process and support for groups that oppose the peace process featured prominently in the discussions between the Foreign Secretary and his Iranian counterpart during his visit from 10–12 January. The Iranian authorities are fully aware of the importance that we and our EU partners attach to the Middle East peace process.
§ Dr. VisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to Iran calling for the trial of the 13 Iranian Jews accused of spying to be held in public. [104790]
§ Mr. HainWe and our EU partners have repeatedly stressed to the Iranian authorities the importance we attach to this issue. We have also stressed our belief that those detained should either be released or granted a speedy, fair and open trial. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary both raised this issue with Dr. Kharrazi during his visit from 10–12 January. Dr. Kharrazi said that those detained would receive a fair trial with access to lawyers and their families. We will continue to monitor the situation.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he made to the Iranian Foreign Minister during his recent visit to the UK regarding(a) human rights in Iran, including the human rights of the Jewish community and (b) support for the Middle Eastern peace process; and if he will make a statement. [104905]
§ Mr. HainHuman rights and Iranian attitudes to the Middle East peace process featured prominently in the discussions between the Foreign Secretary and his Iranian counterpart Dr. Kamal Kharrazi during the visit to London on 10–12 January.