§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is giving to people of Halabja in the current year. [122130]
§ Clare ShortWe are supporting the work of Professor Christine Gosden of Liverpool University to develop a prioritised programme, in conjunction with the universities in northern Iraq and the recently established post-graduate school at Halabja. This will benefit the victims of chemical and biological weapon attacks on the Kurds, principally at Halabja in northern Iraq. The programme will include developing proposals for palliative care, curative treatment, 125W and neutralising environmental contamination. We shall consider providing more substantive assistance on the basis of these proposals. Other donors such as Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Italy and the Vatican have shown an interest in providing humanitarian and other support.