§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Morocco's stance on the main part of the Baker Plan for the western Sahara. [136006]
§ Mr. RammellThe United Kingdom supports fully the efforts of the UN Secretary General and his personal envoy, James Baker III, to find a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution to the western Sahara dispute that provides for self-determination for the people of western Sahara.
The United Nations Secretary General reported to the Security Council in October and urged Morocco to positively engage with the process by accepting and implementing the Baker peace plan. Subsequently, UN Security Council resolution 1513 was adopted unanimously, extending the mandate of MINURSO (the UN Mission for the Referendum in western Sahara) until 31 January 2004 to allow further consideration of the plan.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Morocco on(a) the continuing presence of troops and (b) human rights in the western Sahara. [136008]
§ Mr. RammellMy noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean visited Morocco on 15–17 September 2003. She discussed the situation in western Sahara with the Moroccan Deputy Foreign Minister. Ministers and officials regularly call upon the parties to the western Sahara dispute to take action on human rights issues208W and raise specific cases as necessary. We will continue to monitor the situation closely, taking action with the appropriate authorities where necessary.
§ Jeremy CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of France on its policy towards mineral exploitation in the western Sahara. [136506]
§ Mr. RammellNone.
§ Jeremy CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his officials have had at the UN concerning the future of Minurso and the possibility of a referendum on the future of western Sahara. [136513]
§ Mr. RammellOfficials have been in contact with their United Nations counterparts over this issue, particularly in the lead up to the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1513 on 28 October 2003 which extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 January 2004.