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Written Answers
15 MARCH 1993
Cambodia had been increased to some US $30 million. including all bilateral support since November 1991. Since June 1992 some US $13 million of this pledge has been allocated, mainly to the areas of humanitarian aid, food aid, repatriation, human rights, demining, health, English language teaching and urban and rural water supply.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Central Asia
Mr. Elletson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the effect on United Kingdom interests of Turkish diplomatic and commercial activity in central Asia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: We are aware of the high level of Turkish commercial activity in central Asia. British companies are also looking at investment opportunities in the region. Some British companies are considering the merits of forming joint ventures with Turkish companies, as John Laing already has with the Turkish contracting company, Alarko, in the redevelopment of Ashkabad airport. We welcome the diplomatic influence that Turkey can bring to bear in central Asia in helping those states to develop free market democracy.
Pakistan
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information has been received from the Pakistani authorities by the High Commission in Islamabad concerning the murder of Mohammed Afzal in Juarah village, Pakistan, on 4 October 1992.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd: The British high commission has still not received a report from the Pakistan authorities. The high commission will continue to press the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a full report.
Moscow Airport (Transit Passengers)
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the numbers of transit passengers from Britain via Moscow airport being made to go through customs; how many representations he has received from passengers about this practice; and what representations he has made to the Confederation of Independent States or the ambassador of the Russian Federation.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd: We have no information on numbers of British transit passengers being made to go through customs at Moscow airport, nor have we received any representations about this. Any serious complaint would be taken up with the Russian authorities by our embassy in Moscow.
Kurile Islands
Mr. Elletson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the dispute between Russia and Japan over the Kurile islands on Japanese participation in western arrangements for aid and investment for Russia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: We hope the dispute over the islands can be resolved quickly and to the satisfaction of
Written Answers
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both parties but it has not prevented Japan from taking a close interest in the progress of economic reform in Russia along with other G7 partners. Japan hosted the Tokyo conference on assistance to the former Soviet Union in October last year. As G7 chair this year, Japan is considering with other colleagues what more the west can do to support reform in Russia and invited the Russian Deputy Prime Minister for talks with senior G7 officials in Hong Kong over the weekend.
Hong Kong
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the Democratic Reform Bill for Hong Kong to be published; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad: The Governor of Hong Kong, with the advice of his Executive Council and our full report, published the draft legislation on electoral arrangements in Hong Kong on 12 March.
We have made clear since September last year that we are willing to hold talks with the Chinese side without preconditions. That remains our position.
Despite our best endeavours, it has not so far proved possible to resolve our differences with the Chinese side over the arrangements for talks. We particularly regret this, as we consider that these differences could and should have been resolved quickly.
We told the Chinese side that we were prepared to talk on the basis of the Joint Declaration, the principle of convergence with the Basic Law, and the relevant understandings and agreements reached between Britain and China. We consider the Governor's proposals to be wholly compatible with these.
We also made plain that in any talks the British team would include the necessary Hong Kong officials with the relevant knowledge and experience on the same basis as other officials taking part in the talks. Hong Kong officials have participated in past discussions with the Chinese side as members of the British team, including during the negotiations on the Joint Declaration and in the joint liaison group.
We have also said to the Chinese side that Sir Robin McLaren, the British ambassador to China, would be the British representative, supported by a team consisting of Mr. Michael Sze, the secretary for constitutional affairs, Mr. William Ehrman, the political adviser, Mr. Peter Lai, the deputy secretary for constitutional affairs, and Mr. Peter Ricketts, head of the Hong Kong department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. There would be no distinction between members of the team from Hong Kong and from London.
Having received a positive response from the Chinese side in early February on the principle of talks, we and the Governor, with the advice of the Hong Kong Executive Council, decided to postpone the Hong Kong Government's original plan to publish the legislation on 12 February. But we made it clear to the Chinese side that there could not be an indefinite delay, given the practical need to press ahead with legislation so that the 1994-95 elections can take place on schedule. We proposed an early starting date for the talks.
Despite the absence of a solution to the remaining difficulties, we and the Governor with Exco's advice
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