§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress made in establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and National Human Rights Commission in Sierra Leone as envisaged by the Lome Peace Agreement. [126616]
§ Mr. HainPrior to the attacks mounted by the Revolutionary United Front in May, some limited progress had been made in the establishment of both Commissions. Britain has supported the efforts of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare for the establishment of an effective Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list his officials who took part in observer missions during the negotiations in Lome between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front; [126609]
(2) what role was played by the British Chargè d'Affaires in Lome, at the Lome peace negotiations. [126623]
§ Mr. HainBritain has no diplomatic representation in Lome. A senior official from London, and a visiting official from the British High Commission in Accra accredited to Togo, observed these negotiations.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) which officials from his Department received representations from the Justice Minister of Sierra Leone during the Lome talks; [126622]
(2) what representations were made by the Sierra Leone Justice Minister to his Department regarding the progress of the Lome peace negotiations from April to July 1999. [126621]
§ Mr. HainThe Minister of Justice led the Government of Sierra Leone delegation at the Lome peace negotiations. UK observers remained in close touch with the Minister of Justice throughout the negotiations.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the role played by his Department during the Lome negotiations on Sierra Leone. [126615]
§ Mr. HainBritain was among those present as observers during the negotiations in Lome between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he received from the UN Commissioner on Human Rights, on Sierra Leone, following her visit there in June 1999. [126624]
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§ Mr. HainMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the then Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), met the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in London on 15 July 1999.
Discussion centred on the High Commissioner's impressions of the prospects for lasting peace and long-term reconciliation in Sierra Leone following her visit, and on the importance of international support to sustain the peace process and to rebuild the country.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role he envisages for the Revolutionary United Front in implementing of the Lome Peace Agreement. [126617]
§ Mr. HainThe leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), Foday Sankoh, is now in detention. It is our view that he must remain so until he is brought to justice. Nor, after the attacks by the RUF on United Nations peacekeepers and the RUF's clear violation of the Lome Peace Agreement, can there be any role for members of the RUF in the present Government of Sierra Leone.
For those RUF combatants willing genuinely to disarm and to commit themselves to peace, a revised Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration programme must quickly be established to help them, and other combatants, move back into civilian life and to help train them for civilian employment.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the future of the Lome agreement. [126614]
§ Mr. HainThe provisions of the Lome Peace Agreement include: a permanent cessation of hostilities; disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of all former combatants; creation of effective and democratically accountable Sierra Leone armed forces to protect the country in the future; democratic elections; and an international peacekeeping force to supervise the process.
All these elements remain essential for any lasting peace in Sierra Leone.
At the same time, we have made clear that, in the light of recent events, there can be no place for RUF Ministers in the present government; and that the Revolutionary United Front leader, Foday Sankoh, must face justice.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the possibility of bringing Foday Sankoh to justice; [126629]
(2) what assessment he has made of the proposals to establish an international war crimes tribunal for Sierra Leone. [126613]
§ Mr. HainWe welcome the Government of Sierra Leone's determination to bring to justice those responsible for the horrific atrocities in Sierra Leone. There are various judicial processes by which this could be achieved. We are discussing the options with the Government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations and have offered UK assistance.
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§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations were made by his Department to(a) President Kabbah and (b) the Revolutionary United Front regarding granting of an amnesty to all the RUF members suspected of committing crimes in Sierra Leone prior to 7 July 1999; [126608]
(2) what factors influenced the decision of the parties to the Lome peace accord to accept the inclusion of a general amnesty for members of the RUE [126618]
§ Mr. HainThis was one of the many difficult choices made by the Government of Sierra Leone in the interest of securing a negotiated solution to a brutal eight year conflict.
The Government of Sierra Leone recognised that the conflict could not be solved by military means alone, not least because it had little capacity to fight the Revolutionary United Front rebels. We are now leading international efforts to help create effective, accountable armed forces, so that the Government of Sierra Leone can restore law and order throughout Sierra Leone.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of illegal arms shipments to Sierra Leone. [126620]
§ Mr. HainI am sure that the right hon. Gentleman will understand that the reports that the Government have received are sensitive in nature. It would be inappropriate for me to comment other than to reassure the right hon. Gentleman that appropriate action is being taken wherever possible.
We will be passing as much information on alleged violations as possible to the UN Sanctions Committee.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research his Department has undertaken on ways of preventing British weapons from falling into the hands of child soldiers. [126625]
§ Mr. HainWe rigorously assess all arms export license applications against UK and EU criteria. These include the need to consider the risk that exported arms might be diverted to undesirable end-users, such as child soldiers. Similar considerations apply to exports of arms by the Government. The FCO and our posts overseas consult a wide range of contacts—both official and non-governmental—in order to inform the decision making process and thus reduce the risk of exports from the UK being diverted to undesirable end-users.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations were made to him by the Sierra Leone Government after 1 May on the deteriorating situation in Sierra Leone. [126619]
§ Mr. HainWe have remained in close and regular touch with the Government of Sierra Leone throughout.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of children fighting in(a) the Sierra Leone army, (b) militias supporting the Sierra Leone Government and (c) factions fighting against the Sierra Leone army. [126639]
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§ Mr. HainWe are totally opposed to the use of child soldiers wherever they may be employed. During my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's visit to Sierra Leone on 8 June, President Kabbah reaffirmed his assurances that children would not be used by the Sierra Leone armed forces. The leaders of the two main factions loyal to President Kabbah gave similar assurances to the Foreign Secretary.
Thousands of children have been forcibly recruited by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) during the conflict in Sierra Leone, and forced to fight. Several thousand children are believed to remain in RUF hands.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times he has met President Kabbah of Sierra Leone since January 1999; where the meetings took place; and what was discussed. [126611]
§ Mr. HainSince January 1999, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has met President Kabbah on six occasions: in Abuja, in London, in New York, in Durban, in Cairo, and, most recently, in Freetown.
Discussion at these meetings centred on the prevailing situation in Sierra Leone, and on Britain's efforts to help the Government of Sierra Leone build lasting peace and stability.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors underlay the decision to introduce a twin-track strategy on Sierra Leone; and when this strategy was introduced. [126612]
§ Mr. HainThe international community and the region have long pursued a military/diplomatic twin track policy for achieving lasting peace in Sierra Leone. The ECOWAS Summit of 1998 endorsed the recommendations of ECOWAS Ministers of Foreign Affairs to combine the strengthening of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) with efforts at dialogue.