§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Iraqi women who will be elected to the first Iraqi Parliament. [154118]
§ Mr. RammellWe cannot estimate the number of women to be elected to the Transitional National Assembly. This is a matter for the Iraqi people to decide. The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) is overseeing the drafting of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) to be completed by the end of February 2004. We are encouraging the IGC to promote in the TAL the fair representation of women in the Transitional National Assembly.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people in custody in Iraq have proven links to al-Qaeda, broken down by nationality; and how many of these are believed to have entered Iraq since 20 March 2003. [154279]
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§ Mr. MacShaneDetainees in Iraq who may have links to al-Qaeda are being investigated by the Coalition Provisional Authority. It is the practice of successive governments not to comment on intelligence matters.
§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to(a) the UN and (b) the United States on (i)the future structure of the Iraqi Administration and(ii)self-determination for each of the main ethnic groups. [155182]
§ Mr. RammellWe have regular discussions with the UN and the US about all aspects of Iraq's future. The structure of Iraq's Administration will be a matter for the Iraqi people to determine, with the assistance of the UN and the Coalition Provisional Authority, as laid down in Security Council Resolutions 1483 and 1511. We strongly support the territorial integrity of Iraq and the right of the Iraqi people freely to determine their own political future, as reaffirmed in those resolutions.