§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Uganda Presidential Peace Team. [149973]
§ Hilary BennThe Presidential Peace Team (PPT) was formed in August 2002. It comprises a number of Acholi MPs, Army Officers, Government Ministers and officials. Between August 2002 and May 2003 the PPT was involved in a number of attempts to initiate dialogue with the LRA. However these were unsuccessful.
While the PPT still exists, our current assessment is that it is largely inactive, and therefore ineffective. A revitalised and suitably empowered PPT would be an 29W important component of an effective strategy to end the conflict. We have stressed this in our contacts with the Government of Uganda and will continue to do so.