§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral statement of 13 December,Official Report, columns 773–74, on the Pergau dam, what legal advice was sought by the ODA in regard to the provision of aid and trade provision funds for the projects in (a) Turkey, (b) Botswana and (c) Indonesia.
§ Mr. Baldry[holding answer 20 December 1994]: No legal advice was sought on the provision of aid for these projects. However, in each case legal advice was sought on the detailed terms of each of the commercial contracts and the bilateral agreements with the Governments concerned covering the provision of aid.
§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral statement of 13 December,Official Report, columns 773–74, on the Pergau dam, what were the key political and commercial consideration as taken into account prior to the approval of the ATP funds for (a) Indonesia, (b) Botswana and (c) Turkey.
§ Mr. Baldry[holding answer 20 December 1994]: The key commercial considerations in each case were the potential loss of both the immediate and follow-on business in the sectors concerned in these countries and the surrounding regions. In the case of Botswana, the key political consideration was our wish to help Botswana as one of the front line states to reduce its dependence on South Africa. In the case of Turkey, political 17W considerations took account of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait the previous month and Turkey's positive stance following the invasion. In the case of Indonesia, the key political considerations were Indonesia's position in the Association of South-East Asian Nations region and the need to demonstrate Britain's commitment to the country and its development through a project which was earmarked for a United Kingdom supplier.