§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the political consequences in Iraq of removing Saddam Hussein from power, with particular reference to possible fragmentation. [62658]
§ The Prime MinisterI am aware of my hon. Friend's concerns about the possibility of fragmentation if the Iraqi regime should fall.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the likely impact of a bombing campaign in Iraq on the strength of Saddam Hussein's support in(a) Iraq, (b) the rest of the Arab world and (c) the rest of the Islamic world. [62659]
§ The Prime MinisterI am not prepared to speculate about the possibility of military action or its possible consequences. The statement on 12 November by the Damascus Declaration countries made clear that the Arab world holds Saddam Hussein responsible for the consequences of his actions and the Gulf Co-operation Council summit earlier this month reinforced the message that the Government of Iraq were responsible for the suffering of the Iraqi people. The Iraqi people would no doubt express similar views, if they were allowed to do so.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the reasons for the length of time so far taken by UNSCOM to fulfil its mission. [62663]
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§ The Prime MinisterUNSCOM is mandated under United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 to ensure that Iraq gives up its weapons of mass destruction (WMD). With full co-operation from Iraq, UNSCOM's work could have been completed very quickly. Instead, Iraq has chosen to attempt to retain its WMD capability at all costs. Its behaviour towards UNSCOM has been marked by persistent duplicity, evasion and confrontation.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Prime Minister if he will list the current officials of UNSCOM, indicating their(a) nationality, (b) salaries and (c) dates of appointment. [62664]
§ The Prime MinisterWe do not keep this information. This is a matter for UNSCOM.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Prime Minister what steps the Government will take to ensure that documents requested by UNSCOM exist before using the Iraqi Government's refusal to provide them as the reason for a military attack. [62665]
§ The Prime MinisterI am satisfied that UNSCOM would not have requested these documents without good grounds to believe they existed. I will not speculate on when and if military action will be necessary. I have made clear that I am watching Iraq's behaviour closely against a range of criteria. Iraq's response to UNSCOM's requested for documents is not a good start.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the observations by Mr. Denis Halliday, the UN's former humanitarian co-ordinator, in Middle East International on 13 November, concerning the deaths of children as a result of the UN sanctions against Iraq. [62668]
§ The Prime MinisterLike Mr. Halliday, we deeply regret the suffering of the Iraqi people and we agree with him that it is unfortunate that the UN has been obliged to sustain a sanctions regime against Iraq for so long. But we reject claims that the Iraqi people are suffering because of sanctions.
The international community has done all it can to protect the Iraqi people from the effects of sanctions. It is the Iraqi Government, by consistently seeking to thwart these efforts in an attempt to bring pressure for sanctions to be lifted before it has complied with its obligations, who bear responsibility for the suffering of the Iraqi people. The latest report by the UN Special Rapporteur Mr. Max van der Stoel into the human rights situation in Iraq also holds Iraq primarily responsible for the precarious food and health situation in Iraq.