§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department is having with the Government of the Sudan; and if she will make a statement. [73610]
§ Clare ShortWe keep in touch with the Sudanese authorities' views on humanitarian issues through our frequent dialogues with UN and donor government partners. But we have had no substantive bilateral discussions on these matters with the Government of Sudan since they withdrew their Ambassador and Deputy from London and the consequent temporary withdrawal of British staff from our Embassy in Khartoum last August.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on British aid to the Sudan. [73941]
§ Clare ShortWe were a key donor to the 1998 crisis. The UN 1999 Inter Agency Consolidated Appeal recently issued and we discussed it with other multilateral and bilateral donors at a meeting of the Operation Lifeline Sudan International Advisory Committee on 12 February. There will continue to be substantial humanitarian needs in Sudan this year and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) currently holds enough food stock until at least early summer. We continue to press WFP to make full use of all delivery methods in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of good aid delivery and targeting. British aid to Sudan will focus on supporting the most vulnerable groups of people, particularly in those areas in the south where the situation following last year's crisis is most fragile.
582WWe also continue to press all parties to the civil war in Sudan to come to a negotiated settlement. Peace is the only long-term solution to the continuing suffering.