§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the recent Argentine-British Council meeting held in Argentina is endorsed by the Government as an official forum for discussing Anglo-Argentine relations; what support was provided by(a) the Government and (b) the British embassy in Buenos Aires for the meeting; and whether a Minister from his Department attended. [136495]
§ Mr. Straw[holding answer 4 November 2003]: The Argentine-British Council (ABC) is a non-governmental organisation. The Government did not offer financial support for its recent meeting. Our ambassador in Buenos Aires held a reception at his residence for all ABC delegates. A member of our embassy attended a session of the meeting as an observer.