§ Mr. Frank CookTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcomes of the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons Meeting of States Parties in December 2002, with particular reference to the issue of explosive remnants of war.[101293]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe States Parties to the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons agreed at their meeting in December 2002 to negotiate an instrument to reduce the humanitarian risks posed by Explosive Remnants of War. The UK played an active role in efforts to secure this decision at this meeting and the preparatory work carried out by the Group of Governmental Experts throughout the preceding year. The UK will continue to participate in this group as negotiations progress, and we hope States Parties will be able to reach agreement on the text of an instrument by the end of 2003. We also look forward to continued discussions on the parallel issue of Mines Other than Anti-Personnel Mines, as also mandated by the December 2002 meeting of States Parties.
§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the extant resolutions of the United Nations, indicating the measures taken by Her Majesty's Government to secure compliance with each one.[101407]
§ Mr. RammellThe resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly are listed on the UN website (www.un.org). The very large number of resolutions (e.g. 300 from the General Assembly in 2002 alone) makes it impractical to comment in detail on the follow up to each without incurring disproportionate cost. Nonetheless the Government seek to ensure compliance with all UN Security Council resolutions.