§ Mr. John MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government propose to take to assist the Kurds in Iraq.
§ Mr. WaldegraveWe have consistently urged the Iraqi authorities to respect the human rights of its Kurdish minority. We have made our concerns clear about the ill-treatment of the Kurds, both in the past and as the result of recent Iraqi military operations. We condemned the use of chemical weapons against the Kurds at Halabja in March. In August my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State responded to compelling indications of further Iraq use of chemical weapons by urging the Iraqi Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs that his Government should accept a United Nations investigative mission. We have also provided £¼ million in humanitarian aid to the Turkish Red Crescent Society for the benefit of Kurdish refugees from Iraq in Turkey.