§ Mr. LesterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British Government policy towards Cambodia.
§ Mr. HurdSince my written reply to the question from my hon. Friend on 8 November 1989, we have continued to work for a sovereign and independent Cambodia whose people are able to live in safety and prosperity and free to decide their own future. Our abhorrence of the Khmer Rouge remains absolute, and we are doing what we can to prevent Pol Pot and his friends from returning to power.
We are making good progress in building up our humanitarian aid programme, which is designed to help both Cambodians in Cambodia and those who have taken refuge in camps along the Thai border. In December 1989, two British officials visited Cambodia to examine at first hand the scope for British aid. Following this, we pledged an additional £1 million to multilateral agencies for their programmes inside Cambodia. We are also supporting eight projects inside Cambodia sponsored by non-governmental organisations, with a total commitment of £224,000, and are considering six new applications with a total value of £500,000.
In addition to this important humanitarian effort, we are actively working for a peaceful, comprehensive political settlement in Cambodia. We welcomed the proposal by the Australian Foreign Minister for a special role for the United Nations. A series of meetings of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council has agreed the principles which should underlie a settlement. These include an enhanced role for the United Nations, the modalities of a peace-keeping effort in Cambodia, and the administrative structure during the interim period of United Nations involvement. The informal meeting on Cambodia in Jakarta on 26 to 28 30W February achieved some further progress on United Nations involvement, although it also demonstrated the important remaining differences between the parties.
I have discussed Cambodia with other Foreign Ministers, including those of the United States, France and Italy. I also had a meeting with the United Nations Secretary General in New York in February. Foreign Ministers of the 12 member states of the European Community issued a statement on Cambodia on 20 February, and Cambodia figured prominently in the discussions and joint declaration of the EC-ASEAN ministerial meeting in Malaysia in February.