HC Deb 30 November 1988 vol 142 c293W
24. Mr. Murphy

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the development of a solution to the regional problems in Angola and Namibia.

Mrs. Chalker

We have lent our full support to the United States-led negotiations. We warmly welcome the recent agreement on a timetable for Cuban troop withdrawal from Angola. We urge the parties to move forward quickly to implementation of the United Nations plan for Namibian independence.

48. Mr. Couchman

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last visited southern Africa.

Mrs. Chalker

In September my right hon. and learned Friend paid a successful visit to Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique. He has no present plans for a further visit to the region.

61. Mr. Anderson

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent his Department will be involved in the planning of the Prime Minister's forthcoming visit to the front-line states.

Mrs. Chalker

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has no plans at present to visit southern Africa.

Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information relevant to the present United Kingdom policy on relations with South Africa was presented at the 32nd annual conference on the International Atomic Energy Authority in Vienna on 19 to 23 September.

Mr. Eggar

No new information relevant to United Kingdom policy on relations with South Africa was presented at the International Atomic Energy Agency's general conference. The conference passed a resolution resolving to take a decision on the suspension of South Africa from rights and privileges of membership of the agency at its 33rd session in 1989. The United Kingdom opposed the resolution because there is no legal basis under the agency's statute for suspending South Africa and to do so for political reasons would violate the fundamental right of any state to belong to the agencies of its choice.

36. Mr. John Carlisle

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on sanctions against South Africa.

Mrs. Chalker

Our objective remains the replacement of apartheid as soon as possible, through peaceful means, by a non-racial, representative system of government. We do not believe that punitive sanctions against South Africa would help achieve this.