471
DATE
4588
COL.
472
Written Answers
MAY 1988
132
VOL.
Cyprus
SED.
Written Answers
лол
лил
17
472
مان
72. Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of Anglo-Cypriot relations.
Mrs. Chalker: Anglo-Cypriot relations are good. My right Friend the Prime Minister held friendly and useful talks with President Vassiliou on 31 March.
79. Mr. Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the prospects for settlement of the Cyprus dispute.
Mrs. Chalker: We continue to hope that the United Nations Secretary-General will be able to find a basis for the resumption of inter-communal talks. Good will gestures by both sides would facilitate his task.
Ethiopia
EAD
77. Mr. Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representa- tions he has made to the Ethiopian Government about human rights issues in that country.
Mrs. Chalker: Over the years we have made numerous representations. Most recently my hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development took the matter up with the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister during a visit to Ethiopia in January. We shall continue to raise the subject at every suitable opportunity.
Afghanistan
SAD
78. Mr. Goodlad: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to pay an official visit to Afghanistan.
Mr. Eggar: My right hon. and learned Friend has no such plans.
Panama
MCAD
81. Mr. Haynes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there have been any discussions with the United States Government concerning the current situation in Panama.
85. Mr. Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there have been any discussions with the United States Government concerning the current situation in Panama.
Mr. Eggar: The situation has been discussed in the course of our normal contacts with the United States Government.
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there have been any discussions with the United States Government concern- ing the current situation in Panama.
Mr. Eggar: The situation in Panama has been discussed in the course of our normal contacts with the United States Government.
Sea Pol
Commonwealth Countries (Nuclear Policy)
82. Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how
many
Commonwealth states have policies of refusing access to nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered aircraft or naval vessels.
Mr. Mellor: New Zealand is the only Commonwealth country whose current policy in relation to declarations on the presence of nuclear weapons prevents visits by Royal Navy ships.
HKB
Hong Kong
83. Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received about progress with the transition to Chinese sovereignty in Hong Kong; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar: My right hon. and learned Friend has received no representations on the general question of the transition in Hong Kong. Good progress is being made in the implementation of the Sino-British joint declaration. The Sino-British joint liaison group and the Land Commission have held successful meetings, and have concluded agreements on a number of important issues which will facilitate a smooth transfer of Government in 1997.
Soviet
USSR
84. Mr. Sackville: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to meet his Soviet counterpart to discuss nuclear matters.
Mr. Mellor: My right hon. Friend has had a series of meetings with Mr. Shevardnadze, most recently at Brize Norton in December and during his visit to Moscow in February, when they covered the full range of nuclear and arms control issues. No date has yet been fixed for their next meeting.
MCAD
Nicaragua
86. Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards a settlement of the conflict in Nicaragua.
Mr. Eggar: We have consistently advocated a peaceful negotiated solution to the region's problems. Together with our European partners we warmly welcomed both the Guatemala peace agreement and the 60-day cease-fire agreement signed by the Government of Nicaragua and the Contras at Sapoa on 23 March. We hope negotiations for a definitive cease-fire now under way will lead to peace and reconciliation within a pluralistic democracy in Nicaragua.
WED
Federal Republic of Germany
88. Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Mrs. Chalker: My right hon. and learned Friend has frequent occasion to meet the ambassador informally, but no immediate plans to meet him on official business.
242