87
"
Written Answers
Cow
Abbreviation
Malawi
(Ac)
Malaysia
(Ac)
Maldives
(R)
Malta
(R)
Mexico
(Ac)
Morocco
(S)
Netherlands
(At)
New Zealand
(R)
Nigeria
(Ac)
Norway
(R)
Panama
(R)
Philippines
(R)
Poland
(Ac)
Portugal
(R)
Russia
(At)
Senegal
(S)
Singapore
(Ac)
South Africa
(Ac)
Spain
(R)
Sri Lanka
(Ac)
Sweden
(R)
Switzerland
(R)
Syrian Arab Republic
(Ac)
Thailand
(R)
Trinidad and Tobago
(Ac)
Tunisia
(Ac)
Turkey
(Ac)
Uganda
(R)
Ukraine
(At)
United Arab Emirates
(Ac)
United Kingdom
(R)
Uruguay
(Ac)
United States of America
(R)
Venezuela
(R)
Yugoslavia
(Ac)
(Ac)
(Ap)
Zambia EEC
18 FEBRUARY 1992
The following 15 countries have also ratified the 1990 London amendment to the Montreal protocol.
Canada
China
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Ireland
Japan
Maldives
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Sweden
UK
USA EEC
EC Committee of the Regions
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the consultation procedures he proposes in order to establish the proper means of representation for the United Kingdom on the committee of the regions.
Mr. Garel-Jones: We are considering the arrangements for appointing the United Kingdom members to the committee, which will be convened only after the treaty on political union enters into force.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the United Kingdom has. signed the protocol on the committee of the regions annexed to the Maastricht treaty under article 198(a)-(c).
45 CW57/9 Job 2-10
•
Written Answers
88
Mr. Garel-Jones: Yes. This protocol forms in integral part of the European Community treaty and was therefore covered by the signatures of the treaty on European union by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury.
لال AZ
Arms Exports
Mr. Nellist: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what impact the Gulf war has had on his Department's monitoring of the export of weapons; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd: All export licence applications for the export of weapons to any destination have always -been, and remain, subject to rigorous scrutiny.
SEAD
Vietnamese Migrants
Sir William Shelton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Vietnamese migrants.
Mr. Hurd: On 12 February, 36 illegal immigrants were repatriated from Hong Kong on the third mandatory flight under the orderly repatriation programme of 29 October 1991. They had all been screened out under procedures approved by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees-UNHCR—and were re- turned to Vietnam in accordance with international practice. The operation went smoothly.
The first phase of the orderly repatriation programme agreed with the Vietnamese Government on 29 October has succeeded in reducing the camp population in Hong Kong encouraging migrants already there to return to Vietnam and stopping the flow of arrivals to Hong Kong. The camp population in Hong Kong has fallen from a peak on 5 October 1991 of 64,314 to 58.762 now. Whereas 20,163 Vietnamese arrived in Hong Kong in the first 10 months of 1991, only 45 arrived in November and December. Only four have arrived so far in 1992. In the first 10 months of 1991 an`average of 500 Vietnamese per month returned voluntarily to Vietnam under the UNHCR auspices. In contrast 1,900 returned voluntarily in November and 1.800 in December. So far this year UNHCR have repatriated 1,191. This is substantial progress, though the pressures on Hong Kong are still
severe.
In total, more than 20,000 migrants have so far been repatriated to Vietnam under UNHCR auspices from countries of first asylum in the region. There has not been a single substantiated case of persecution. Only if migrants are returned to their country of origin can the genuine refugees be properly looked after and resettled in accordance with their international rights.
SEAT
Cambodia
Mr. Anthony Coombs: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contributions the United Kingdom is making towards United Nations peacekeeping operations in Cambodia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd: The UK's assessed contribution towards the United Nations advance mission in Cambodia is estimated to be £500.000.
Parliamentary approval for this new, service will be sought in the spring supplementary estimate for "Foreign