§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what(a) UK bilateral and (b) NATO financial assistance is being (i) offered and (ii) provided to Russia in relation to (1) decommissioning redundant nuclear weapons and delivery systems, (2) destruction of chemical weapons and (3) other arms control systems; and if he will make a statement. [101384]
§ Mr. HainThe UK has provided £35,900,000 in bilateral assistance to support the decommissioning of redundant nuclear weapons. This figure comprises £35 million for equipment to transfer warheads from the Former Soviet Union to Russia between 1992–95 and approximately £900,000 assistance on safeguards and materials accountancy. We have also announced a £5 million bilateral assistance programme to help Russia deal with its nuclear waste and spent fuel legacy. Specific projects are now being considered, but, before we can initiate projects on the ground, we need an adequate legal and financial framework for such assistance. This is under negotiation.
NATO does not provide financial assistance in these areas. At the Washington Summit this year, NATO said that it would consider options for confidence and security-building measures, verification, non-proliferation 408W and arms control and disarmament. The Council in Permanent Session will propose a process to Ministers this month for considering such options.
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced on 24 November that nuclear safety in the Former Soviet Union would be the subject of cross departmental study in the 2000 Cross-cutting review. The UK is also contributing to ongoing discussions in the EU on a "Joint Action Establishing a European Union Co-operation Programme for Non-proliferation and Disarmament in the Russian Federation."
§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the high-level parliamentary visits planned this year to Russia, referred to at paragraph 19 of the paper dated 6 October prepared by his Department and supplied to the Foreign Affairs Committee. [101386]
§ Mr. VazI refer my hon. Friend to the annexe of Parliamentary visits attached to the supplementary Memorandum submitted to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 2 December. The list of visits for 1999 is as follows:
Parliamentary Visits 1999
January
Ivan Rybkin, President Yeltsin's personal envoy to CIS, plus seven deputies for seminar on standards in public life, organised by Leeds University.March
Nine MPs, House of Commons Defence Committee.April
Alexander Shokhin, Chairman of Duma faction of "Our Home is Russia" Party, plus four deputies to London and regions.North Atlantic Assembly delegation to Moscow.Five Deputies, Duma Budget Committee (tax sub-committee).May
Alexander Zhukov, Chairman, Duma Budget Committee plus four deputies Terry Davis, MP (as candidate for Secretary General Council of Europe).June
Six deputies, Duma Budget Committee (tax sub-committee)1.Three deputies, Duma Budget Committee (tax sub-committee)1.Five deputies, Duma Information Policy Committee Nikolai Stolyarov, Deputy Chairman, Duma Foreign Affairs Committee plus four deputies.Four Deputies, Duma Veterans Committee.Nineteen deputies to UK for election study visit.Five MPs to Moscow and Regions.Six MPs to Moscow, for discussions on Kosovo.Two deputies to UK (in group of Ministry of Labour officials and NGO representatives).July
Vladimir Lukin, Chairman, Duma Foreign Affairs Committee, for opening of Scottish Parliament.Nikolai Stolyarov, Deputy Chairman, Duma Foreign Affairs Committee for Inter-parliamentary seminar on security issues.September
Lord Cromwell and Dr. Michael Clark, MP to Moscow, for meetings on democracy and governance.Two Duma deputies, Ivan Rybkin and Viktor Sheinis, for a seminar on media and elections campaigns.October
Eight MPs from the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Ekaterinburg.November
Andrew Tyrie, MP to Moscow, for meetings on human rights issues.1Separate visits
409W
§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons the United Kingdom made representations to the Russian Government about the prosecution of the journalists Nikitin and Pasko; and if he will make a statement. [101383]
§ Mr. VazWe, along with our EU partners, have been concerned that the trials of the environmentalists Nikitin and Pasko should be conducted fairly, justly and in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights. We will continue to monitor both cases.