§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contact or communication he or his officials have had with representatives of RENAMO.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydUnited Kingdom officials have contact with RENAMO through the forum of the joint verification commission in Maputo, of which we are members, and in our capacity as observers at the Rome peace talks. In March we began contact with RENAMO leader, Dhlakama, at senior official level in recognition of a more positive attitude by RENAMO to the peace talks in Rome, which we hope will continue. There will be no Ministerial contact with RENAMO until the negotiations have advanced considerably.
§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made since 1979 to the Mozambican Government about the abuse of human rights in the parts of Mozambique under its control.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThere continue to be human rights abuses in Mozambique. We have discussed human rights with the Government of Mozambique on several occasions since 1979 notably when my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised the matter with President Chissano during his visit to Mozambique in October 1991. We have also raised RENAMO's human rights record with RENAMO.