§ 26. Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation in Sudan. [64612]
§ Mr. FatchettThe situation in Sudan continues to cause us great concern. While humanitarian conditions in some of the areas worst hit by famine have stabilised, UN agencies expect there to be continuing substantial need in 1999. The suffering is, of course, made much worse by the continuing civil war.
434WWe are therefore working with the UN and others to improve the delivery of aid at the same time as pressing all sides to work towards a peaceful settlement to the civil war—the only long-term solution to the humanitarian crisis.
We continue to support the IGAD peace process as the best way to bring about a negotiated end to the civil war. In this context, UN Special Envoy Vraalsen will shortly be visiting the region, as will an IGAD Partners Forum mission. We are lending our full support to these initiatives.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the British Ambassador to Sudan to return to Khartoum. [66490]
§ Mr. FatchettWhen my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary ordered the withdrawal of British staff from our Embassy in Khartoum on 27 August 1998, he said that it was only a temporary withdrawal and that he hoped the necessary conditions for the return of staff would be re-established before too long.
We are in regular contact with the Sudanese Government through their Embassy in London. British staff from our Embassy in Khartoum, who are currently based in Nairobi, have also made a number of visits to Sudan.