Democratic Republic of the Congo (Hansard, 19 January 2004)

§ Mr. John Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs about the effectiveness of humanitarian intervention in Ituri. [148076]

§ Hilary Benn
We have regular discussions with the UN's agencies including OCHA, and consider the humanitarian response to the crisis in Ituri to have been effective to date. The humanitarian situation there has improved as a result of services such as food aid, emergency medical assistance, provision of potable water and increased sanitation facilities delivered by the relief agencies, and the UN has been able to negotiate increased access in the area for relief work.

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the most recent discussions he has had with the governments of(a) Rwanda and (b) Uganda concerning their involvement in the future of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [148078]

§ Hilary Benn
The UK is seeking to help resolve conflict and establish conditions for genuine development in the whole of the Great Lakes region. We have maintained a close dialogue with the governments930W of Rwanda and Uganda, and indeed with the former Government and now the Transitional National Government (TNG) in Kinshasa, on the need for good neighbourly relations as the basis for national and regional stability. We continue to do so. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will undoubtedly be discussed during the forthcoming visit to the UK of Presidents Kagame and Museveni.
Both Rwanda and Uganda have taken positive steps recently to normalise their relations with the TNG in DRC, including mutual ministerial visits and the signing in New York on 25 September 2003 of a Good Neighbourly Pact, which included commitments that all support for armed groups should end and that there should be no illegal exploitation of natural resources of the DRC.

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many monitors and overseers the United Kingdom will send to witness and report on whether the forthcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are(a) free and (b) fair. [148081]

§ Hilary Benn
The Transitional National Government (TNG) of the DRC has not set a specific date for elections, likely to be either in 2005 or 2006; nor has it invited partners to send election monitors. Should it do so, it is likely we will participate in wider EU or UN efforts.
Helping the TNG and other stakeholders prepare for free and fair elections is an important part of our engagement in DRC. We are providing £400,000 for the Electoral Institute of South Africa (EISA), an NGO, to help enhance the capacity of stakeholders to participate in the process of designing the DRC's institutional, constitutional and legal frameworks, including for a democratic electoral system.

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action he will(a) take unilaterally and (b) propose at multilateral level in response to the publication of the UN Commission report on the misuse of the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [148082]

§ Hilary Benn
I refer the hon. Member for Buckingham to the Statement made by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Chris Mullin) on 17 December 2003,Official Report, Column 142–4WS.
We continue to urge the UN to provide the detailed information necessary to substantiate the allegations against British companies. We have urged NGOs to do the same.

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with(a) his counterparts in EU member states and (b) representatives of the United Nations about the report of the UN Panel of Experts on illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [149186]
931W

§ Hilary Benn
None. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office are the lead Department responsible for discussions on the UN Panel of Experts Report with counterparts in EU Member States and representatives of the United Nations.
The issue of exploitation of the natural resources of the DRC is enormously important. We are already working with the new government in the Congo and with international and regional partners to help develop its institutions and to put in place effective management of the country's natural resources, including by playing a leading role in making the Anti-Corruption Commission effective and encouraging the Transitional National Government to engage in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
The huge potential of the Congo's natural resources should be exploited legally and in a regulated way, for the benefit of all Congolese. We want to see trade in natural resources become a cohesive factor in regional stability and not a cause of conflict.