§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contacts he has had with UNITA in order to obtain information about Jason Pope. [144023]
§ Mr. Hain[holding answer 8 January 2001]: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has raised the case of Jason Pope with UNITA officials many times since Jason's disappearance. This contact has been in accordance with UN sanctions against UNITA with the permission on humanitarian grounds from the UN Angola Sanctions committee.
The last time officials made contact with UNITA representatives to raise Jason's case was in Washington on 9 December 2000. Jason's parents have been informed of this exchange.
We will continue to explore all possible sources of information and assistance to try to establish Jason's whereabouts and the facts of what happened.