§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with members of(a) the French Government and (b) Prime Minister Seydou Diarra's transitional government in Ivory Coast concerning the nature of the death of French journalist Jean Helene in Abidjan; what advice his Department has issued to UK aid workers (i) in Ivory Coast and (ii) looking to travel to Ivory Coast; and if he will make a statement. [168554]
§ Mr. MullinAlong with our other EU partners we condemned the murder of the French journalist, Jean Helene, in Abidjan in October 2003. We urged the Ivorian authorities to re-establish rule of law to protect Ivorians and foreign nationals. The policeman charged with Jean Helene's murder was found guilty and sentenced in January 2004. We are also concerned at reports of the recent disappearance of another journalist, a French/Canadian national.
We advise UK nationals against non-essential travel to Cote d'Ivoire. More detailed advice is provided on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website: www.fco.gov.uk.
As I made clear in a press release on 21 April, we urge all Ivorian parties to make progress in implementing the Linas Marcoussis Agreement. A copy of the press release is available on the FCO website: www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases.