Sudan (Hansard, 2 July 2003)

§ Mr. Drew
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what monitoring his Department carries out into shipments of arms destined for Sudan. [122477]

§ Mr. Mullin
[holding answer 30 June 2003]: The Government fully support and comply with the EU arms embargo, which was implemented in 1994. The embargo was introduced as a result of the ongoing civil war in Sudan, the lack of any movement towards a peaceful settlement to the conflictand the resulting humanitarian crisis.
The Government work to ensure the rigorous enforcement of sanctions and takes all breaches very seriously. When the Government receive information regarding an alleged breach by a third country, we raise the issue with the country concerned.
Were we to receive allegations against a UK company, we would ensure that the information is passed to the appropriate authorities, who will consider conducting a formal investigation.
312W

§ Mr. Dawson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department plans to take regarding the recent conflict in Darfur, western Sudan. [122703]

§ Mr. Mullin
[holding answer 30 June 2003]: During his recent visit to Khartoum on 15–17 June 2003 the UK Special Representative met a group of Darfur MPs and intellectuals. He raised their concerns about the situation in Darfur with the Sudanese First Vice President. The Sudanese Government have given a commitment to ensure access for humanitarian aid but not all areas are within their control. In the longer term of arrangements being discussed at the peace talks in Machakos offer the best prospects of addressing the problems in Darfur.

§ Mr. Dawson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Government of Sudan regarding reports of harassment of civil society groups in recent months. [122704]

§ Mr. Mullin
Our Ambassador in Khartoum raised this with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 19 June 2003 during the most recent EU/Sudan Dialogue meeting. The UK Special Representative raised it with the Sudanese First Vice-President on 16 June 2003 in Khartoum.