HL Deb 19 December 2002 vol 642 cc142-3WA
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What recent changes have been made to (a) the United Nations sanctions against Angola (UNITA) and Sierra Leone; and (b) the European Union sanctions against the Democratic Republics of Congo and Burma. [HL779]

Baroness Amos

Angola (UNITA)

With the suport of Her Majesty's Government, the UN Security Council on 18 October 2002 unanimously adopted UN Security Council resolution 1439(2002). The resolution lifted the travel ban on members of UNITA and their immediate families listed in paragraphs 4a and 4b of UN Security Council resolution 1127(1997) from 14 November 2002. The travel ban has been suspended since May pursuant to UN Security Council resolutions 1412(2002) and 1432(2002).

Resolution 1439(2002) also committed the Security Council to review all remaining measures imposed on UNITA by 19 November 2002. Following the review with the support of Her Majesty's Government, the Security Council voted unanimously to adopt United Nations Resolution 1448(2002) on 9 December 2002. This resolution lifted all remaining sanctions measures on Angola (UNITA). This is in recognition of the considerable progress made in Angola since the formal cessation of hostilities on 4 April 2002, and the broad fulfilment of the tenets of the Lusaka Peace Protocol by UNITA.

Sierre Leone

With the support of Her Majesty's Government, the Security Council voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 1446(2002) on 4 December 2002. 'The resolution extended the embargo on the export of rough diamonds without a certificate of origin, controlled by the Government of Sierra Leone. This extension will allow the Government of Sierra Leone to extend and consolidate their authority over the diamond-mining fields in the country.

Democratic Republic of Congo

With the support of Her Majesty's Government, the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 22 October agreed Council Common Position 2002/829. The European Union introduced an embargo on the export of arms to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1993 pursuant to an EU declaration of 7 April 1993. The Common Position (2002/829) amends the scope of that arms embargo by providing that the arms embargo does not apply to temporary exports for personal use of United Nations personnel; and does not prohibit the export of non-lethal military equipment with a legitimate humanitarian use to representatives of the media and humanitarian and associated personnel, or equipment to be used for the clearance and destruction of anti-personnel landmines.

Burma

With the support of Her Majesty's Government, the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 22 October agreed Council Common Position 2002/831. The Common Position extends EU sanctions against Burma for a further six months. The Common Position and the accompanying Council Regulation also update the list of individuals subject to EU sanctions to take account of recent changes to the Burmese military regime.