§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Iraqi Government concerning the forcible removal by the army of the Kurdish population from Qala Diza in North Iraq on 12th June; what explanation has been offered and whether there are grounds for thinking that these and other deportations constitute genocide.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Glenarthur)My honourable friend the Minister of State spoke to the Iraqi Ambassador on Wednesday 14th June to express our concern at allegations of an Iraqi policy of mass deportations of Kurds from Qala Diza and other settlements in north Iraq. The ambassador responded that some localised resettlement was taking place on security and humanitarian grounds. We continue to press the Iraqis to allow foreign diplomats and journalists access to the areas in question to see for themselves what the truth is.
On the evidence available to us we do not believe that these actions constitute genocide as defined under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.