Mr. Robert AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the recent visit to the United Kingdom of Iraqi negotiators dealing with GEC.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe understand that eight Iraqi businessmen recently visited the United Kingdom to discuss with GPT, a partly owned subsidiary of GEC, the possibility of business once the sanctions regime is lifted. We agreed to the issue of visas—fewer than the Iraqis wanted—against the background that there is no reason why British firms should not hold such discussions with the Iraqis. But we made clear to GEC that, since Iraq is in breach of the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 setting out the terms of the formal ceasefire at the end of the Gulf war, there is no immediate prospect of sanctions being lifted and therefore no prospect of GPT being in a position to fulfil any contract with the Iraqis. We also told it that we were not therefore ready to put an application to the United Nations Sanctions Committee.
Mr. Robert AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visas have been issued to Iraqis to visit the United Kingdom on business in the last 12 months.
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§ Mr. Lennox-BoydStatistics according to nationality and purpose of visit are not centrally recorded and could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.
§ Lady Olga MaitlandTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made on behalf of the British Government on the matter of those British subjects held by the Iraqi regime; and if he will inform the Iraqi Government that any use of these people as a human shield will result in retaliation.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydWe have made many representations to the Iraqi Government on behalf of Paul Ride and Michael Wainwright, and have taken every opportunity to press for their release. We have no reason to believe the prisoners will be used as human shields.