Sudan (Hansard, 26 June 2000)

§ Mr. Rowe
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of critical engagement with Sudan on human rights there; and if he will make a statement. [126657]

§ Mr. Hain
At this year's UN Commission on Human Rights, the EU sponsored a resolution on the Sudan which set out its concerns about violations of human rights. We have also taken up many of these concerns bilaterally and through the recently renewed EU/Sudan dialogue.
While we still have many concerns, we do believe that some progress has been made. Some examples would be the release of many prisoners, the agreement to review some legislation such as the Public Order Law, and the setting up of the Committee for the Eradication of the Abduction of Women and Children which is working in close co-operation with UNICEF and Save the Children Fund (UK). Such issues remain high on our agenda.

§ Mr. Rowe
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps(a) the United Kingdom and (b) the international community is taking to ensure that Sudanese oil revenues are not being used to assist the war effort in Sudan. [126662]

§ Mr. Hain
We are well aware of concerns that revenues from the oil industry in the Sudan could be used to fund the ongoing war in the Sudan. We have raised these concerns with the Government of Sudan, pressing them to use the revenues for development projects and to show transparency in the oil account. Public assurances have been made to that effect and we shall look to the Government to honour these assurances as evidence becomes available. This is an issue that has also been taken up by other members of the international community.

§ Mr. Rowe
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to persuade United Kingdom companies to withdraw from Sudan until there is peace there. [126661]

§ Mr. Hain
There is currently an EU arms embargo on the Sudan, which the UK helped initiate in 1994. We implement this rigorously and expect it to remain as long as the civil war continues.
406W
As regards other sectors, we give full and frank advice to British companies taking into account, for example, the security situation and reports of human rights abuses associated with the oil industry. But we do not have a policy to halt all British commercial interests.