§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions on which he and the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), have met President Kabbah of Sierra Leone since 1 May 1997; and if he will publish the minutes of such meetings. [42094]
§ Mr. Robin Cook[holding answer 14 May 1998]: Officials from the High Commission had numerous meetings with President Kabbah in Conakry. Officials also met him when he visited the UK in October 1997.
My hon. Friend the Minister of State met President Kabbah on 20 October, when he addressed the seminar "Restoring Sierra Leone to Democracy"; on 25 October, with the Under-Secretary of State for International Development; and on 31 March 1998, when he visited Sierra Leone as a member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group mission.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met him informally during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Edinburgh in October 1997. I met the Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone in the margins of the UN General Assembly meeting in September 1997.
It is not normal practice to release the records of discussion with foreign governments, but all relevant documents will be available to Sir Thomas Legg for his investigation.
§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the application of Security Council Resolution 1132 to the Nigerian-led military observers group of the Economic Community of West African States at the time it was seeking to restore democracy in Sierra Leone. [42560]
§ Mr. Robin Cook[holding answer 18 May 1998]: Operative paragraph 6 of Security Council Resolution 1132 provides that the Security Council
346WDecides that all States shall prevent the sale or supply to Sierra Leone, by their nationals or from their flag vessels or aircraft, of petroleum and petroleum products and arms and related material of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment and spare parts for the aforementioned, whether or not originating in their territory".No exceptions were made to the embargo.
Now that the conditions set out in SCR 1132 for the lifting of the embargo have been met United Nations Security Council Members have agreed that a new resolution is required. This should lift the arms embargo on the Sierra Leone Government and ECOMOG but maintain it on non-governmental forces. Urgent discussions on the precise terms of the resolution are underway in New York.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the role of his Department was in drafting United Nations Security Resolution 1132; what representations his Department made to ensure clarity of definition in determining the target of the embargo; and when the possibility of misinterpretation was first brought to his attention. [42712]
§ Mr. Robin Cook[holding answer 20 May 1998]: The UK took a leading role in negotiating the text of Resolution 1132, in September and October 1997. We were satisfied that there were no exceptions to the arms embargo. Differences in interpretation did not emerge until May 1998.
§ Mr. HoggTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 21 May 1998,Official Report, column 525, on what dates the telegram of 6 February was copied to (a) his private office and (b) the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd); and if it was drawn to (i) his and (ii) the Minister of State's attention. [43976]
§ Mr. Robin Cook[holding answer 1 June 1998]: From 6 February onwards, a number of telegrams referring to the ECOMOG intervention in Sierra Leone were received within the FCO. These telegrams were seen in my Private Office and the Private Office of the Minister of State, and, as is standard practice, the key ones were drawn to my, and his, attention. None made any reference to Sandline.