HC Deb 27 October 1997 vol 299 c670W
Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what ministerial visits have been made to Colombia since 1 August; and if Ministers visited camps containing displaced peasant farmers forced from their lands by paramilitary groups. [12786]

Mr. Tony Lloyd

I am the only member of the Government to have visited Colombia since 1 August. I did not visit any of the camps containing displaced people, although I met and discussed the issue with their representatives.

Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Colombian Government about the situation of internally displaced peasant farmers in Colombia; and if he will make a statement. [12804]

Mr. Lloyd

The plight of the displaced people of Colombia is a symptom of the internal conflict in that country. During my visit to Colombia last month, I raised with the Colombian Government our concerns about a variety of humanitarian problems resulting from the internal security situation, including that of displaced people.