§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what agreement was reached in the recent discussions in Madrid between the UK and 10 other countries regarding the possible interdiction of ships and planes from North Korea and other countries; whether the agreement has been published; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [123677]
§ Mr. RammellThe discussion, which took place on 12 June 2003, was an initial meeting of allies to establish the group and to share ideas for taking forward measures for interdiction. No formal agreements were concluded, except that the group would continue to meet regularly.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the policy of constructive engagement with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that led to the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea. [123836]
§ Mr. RammellThe UK established diplomatic relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in December 2000 and opened an Embassy in Pyongyang in July 2001. Our contacts with the DPRK government in the period leading up to these decisions convinced us that it made sense to encourage the DPRK's integration into the international community, rather than see it remain isolated. Our diplomatic relationship has allowed us to keep open channels of communication which enable us to address the DPRK authorities frequently and directly on issues of international concern, pre-eminently non-proliferation and human rights. But we have told North Korea that there can be no normal relationship until the nuclear issue has been resolved.
578W
1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 FCO (staff) 5,930 5,594 5,523 5,620 5,737 6,054 £000,000 161.4 162.9 170.7 185.3 192.5 212.8 Agency—Wilton Park 41 44 47 47 53 55 £000 981 1,035 1,095 1,305 1,478 1,652 NDPBs: Westminster Foundation for Democracy 6 6 7 9 9 11 £000 196 214.3 260.6 315.1 331.1 437.1
§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Ministers from(a) North Korea and (b) China with respect to human rights in North Korea; and if he will make a statement. [123976]
§ Mr. RammellOur establishment of diplomatic relations and an embassy in North Korea enable us to use official channels to raise human rights issues, including religious persecution, at regular intervals. Most recently, I discussed the human rights situation in North Korea with DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon during his visit to London in May. The UK also supported a resolution at this year's UN Commission on Human Rights. The resolution, which was adopted by a wide margin on 16 April, urges North Korea to co-operate with the UN human rights mechanisms.
We regularly raise the issue of North Korean refugees with the Chinese, including at the biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue. At the last round of the Dialogue, on 21 November 2002, we urged China to allow the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) access to the border areas and to observe its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention. We will continue to encourage greater co-operation between China and UNHCR on this issue.