Western Sahara (Hansard, 1 March 2002)

§ Mr. Alan Duncan
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans Ministers from his Department have to visit(a) Morocco and (b) Western Sahara. [38490]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
FCO Ministers have no current plans to visit either Morocco or Western Sahara. I visited Morocco in September 2001.

§ Mr. Alan Duncan
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions the Government have had with the Spanish Government regarding the Western Sahara dispute. [38487]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
The Government have no formal contact with the Spanish Government regarding the Western Sahara dispute.

§ Mr. Alan Duncan
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions the Government have had with the Government of Morocco regarding the status of the Western Sahara. [38486]
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§ Mr. Bradshaw
We regularly discuss the issue of the Western Sahara with the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco. I raised the issue during my visit to Morocco in September 2001 and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the subject with Mohammed Benaissa the Moroccan Foreign Minister during his visit to London on 21 February 2002.

§ Mr. Alan Duncan
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contact the Government have had with the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General with regard to his efforts to find a solution to the Western Sahara dispute. [38488]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
We continue to support the efforts of James Baker, the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General in trying to find a just and durable resolution to the Western Sahara dispute. UK Officials in New York are in regular contact with James Baker, most recently on 27 February when he addressed an informal group of United Nations Security Council members on his report on the situation in Western Sahara.

§ Mr. Alan Duncan
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts the British Government are engaged in to encourage the Moroccan Government and the Polisario Front to reach an agreement in the Western Sahara dispute. [38489]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
Foreign Office Ministers and officials in London and New York have regular contact with their counterparts from other nations and the parties to this dispute to attempt to reach an agreement.
We continue to support the efforts of James Baker, the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General, in trying to find a mutually acceptable, just and durable resolution to the dispute. We encourage all parties to do the same.