§ Richard BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications for the UK's responsibilities as(a) a permanent member of the UN Security Council and (b) a high contracting party to the Fourth Geneva Convention of the International Court of Justice's decision to open hearings into the legal consequences of the construction of the wall in the occupied Palestinian Territory. [146562]
§ Mr. RammellThe International Court of Justice has been requested by the UN General Assembly (Resolution A/RES/ES-10/14) to give an Advisory Opinion on the legal consequences arising from the construction of the wall being built by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The International Court of Justice's decision to hold hearings on this issue has no direct implications for the UK's responsibilities as a High Contracting Party to the Fourth Geneva Convention or as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
§ Richard BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of(a) the amount of Palestinian land planned for appropriation by Israel under the map released by the Israeli Government on 23 October 2003 to construct the Separation Wall and (b) the amount of land that will be made inaccessible to its owners by the wall. [146564]
§ Mr. RammellAccording to the UN Secretary General's report of 24 November 2003, the Israeli Defence Force's map of 23 October predicts that 975 square km of land will lie between the Green Line and the fence, and 73 square km will take the form of closed areas.
While recognising Israel's legitimate security concerns, the UK considers the route of the fence Israel is building in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to be unlawful. It threatens the prospects for a two-state solution and is an obstacle to peace. The Government continues to make representations to the Government of Israel to re-route the fence away from Palestinian land.
§ Richard BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of(a) the amount of Palestinian land (i) appropriated and (ii) planned for appropriation by Israel in the area around Jerusalem to construct the 529W Separation Wall and (b) the amount of land in that area already made inaccessible to its owners by the Wall. [146565]
§ Mr. RammellThe UN Secretary General's report of 24 November 2003 sets out various statistics relating to Israel's building of a fence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The report contained no specific figures for the land appropriated in the Jerusalem area, on which estimates from other sources vary.
While recognising Israel's legitimate security concerns, the UK considers the route of the fence Israel is building in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to be unlawful. It threatens the prospects for a two-state solution and is an obstacle to peace. The Government continues to urge the Government of Israel to re-route the fence away from Palestinian land.
§ Richard BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how he intends to respond to the invitations from the International Court of Justice to member states to submit written evidence by 30 January to the hearings it is organising into the legal consequences of the construction of the wall in the occupied Palestinian Territory; and whether he will indicate by 13 February whether the UK intends to take part in those hearings. [146563]
§ Mr. RammellWe are giving careful consideration to the UK's response to the International Court of Justice's invitation to member states to submit a written statement to the Court and/or to take part in the oral proceedings. I shall write to my hon. Friend to inform him of our decision in due course.
§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the United Kingdom recognises the right of Israel to possess and deploy nuclear weapons. [147028]
§ Mr. RammellAs a non-signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Israel would not be in breach of any obligation under international law in the possession or deployment of nuclear weapons. However, the UK firmly believes that possession or
530W
Country From To Purpose of visit Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Nigeria 5 September 2001 6 September 2001 Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Meeting Egypt 27 September 2001 27 September 2001 Part of Middle-East tour Democratic Republic of Congo/Rwanda/ 21 January 2002 23 January 2002 Bilaterals Burundi/Uganda Egypt 8 October 2002 8 October 2002 Part of Middle-East tour South Africa 12 May 2003 13 May 2003 Bilateral Forum Nigeria 2 December 2003 4 December 2003 Accompanying HM Queen on State Visit The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Baroness Amos Nigeria 25 July 2001 27 July 2001 Bilateral South Africa 29 August 2001 3 September 2001 UN World Against Racism Conference Nigeria 5 September 2001 7 September 2001 Commonwealth Foreign Minister's Meeting(Accompanied Foreign Secretary) Zimbabwe 24 October 2001 26 October 2001 Bilateral Ethiopia 5 December 2001 8 December 2001 G8 Meeting Kenya/Tanzania 2 January 2002 10 January 2002 Bilateral Senegal/Nigeria 6 February 2002 10 February 2002 Accompanying Prime Minister (Visit also included France) South Africa 12 February 2002 16 February 2002 G8 Meeting Senegal 10 April 2002 13 April 2002 Bilateral and G8 Meeting Ghana 25 April 2002 26 April 2002 Bilateral Mozambique 14 May 2002 17 May 2002 Bilateral Lesotho/South Africa 29 July 2002 3 August 2002 Bilaterals Nigeria 3 September 2002 5 September 2002 Bilateral deployment would be extremely destabilising for the region. We have consistently urged Israel to clarify its nuclear status by acceding to the NPT as a non-nuclear weapons state, and signing a full-scope safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Under the agreement with IAEA, Israel's nuclear facilities would be subject to regular inspection to detect and eliminate any diversion of nuclear materials for weapons production. The UK has consistently supported UN Resolutions calling for the establishment of a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction. That zone would include Israel.