§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list the military support, whether financial or material, going from Britain to the anti-government forces in Afghanistan, distinguishing between governmental and other, and also what British weapons purchased by other parties are being sent to Afghanistan, and whether these include Blowpipe, and whether the provision of weapons from Britain and elsewhere is included in the discussions about Afghanistan being held under United Nations auspices.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Young): As my right honourable friend the then Secretary of State for Defence told my honourable friend the Member for Bridlington (Mr John Townend) on 29th November 1983, it is clear from the continuing resistance activities in Afghanistan that arms are getting through to the freedom fighters.
Her Majesty's Government are not a party to the UN-sponsored proximity talks and we are therefore in no position to comment. But we fully support the efforts of the UN Secretary General's special represen-tative to achieve a negotiated solution in line with successive UNGA resolutions.