§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have reports from Her Majesty's Embassy in Khartoum, or from their Special Representative in the Sudan, on the collapse of the ceasefire in Darfur province, large displacement of population and destruction of villages; and whether they are in communication with the United Nations Special Envoy Tom Vraalsen. [HL740]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)We remain concerned about the situation in Darfur. Our ambassador in Khartoum and the UK Special Representative are in contact with all parties, including the Government of Sudan at senior level and the UNSG's Special Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan, Tom Vraalsen, on this matter. We are pressing for the re-establishment of a ceasefire, preferably with international monitoring, which would permit humanitarian access to those in need and which would lead to talks about how the problems of Darfur can best be addressed.