Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Tuesday Volume 520 14 December 2010 No. 90 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 14 December 2010 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2010 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ Enquiries to the Office of Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 795 14 DECEMBER 2010 796 to congratulate American diplomats on being such excellent House of Commons reporters and ask why our media are so lazy at foreign reporting? The only time we get foreign news on the Tuesday 14 December 2010 front pages is when WikiLeaks gives the media a story. Mr Browne: I do not wish to comment on the individual The House met at half-past Two o’clock case that the right hon. Gentleman has brought to the House’s attention. We all understand that there are areas of the private realm—health and tax records, for PRAYERS instance—where it is perfectly possible to release information, but where we would not wish to see it [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] released. We regard that as appropriate for diplomatic relations as well. Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green): What Oral Answers to Questions contacts have the Minister or his officials had with their Swedish counterparts or authorities about the extradition of WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, from the UK to Sweden, and what assurance has the Minister sought or FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE received from Sweden about the widespread public concern that there might be a political dimension to these The Secretary of State was asked— proceedings? Promoting Democracy (Internet) Mr Speaker: Order. The Minister will accept that his answer must relate specifically to the effectiveness of 2. Joseph Johnson (Orpington) (Con): If he will the internet as a means of promoting democracy worldwide. assess the compatibility of the provisions of the Vienna convention on consular relations with the effectiveness Mr Browne: It is hard to answer the question within of the internet as a means of promoting democracy those confines. The matter to which the hon. Lady worldwide. [30259] refers is for the courts rather than me as a Minister. However, it touches on a wider point. I agree with the The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth observation that you inferred from the question, Mr Office (Mr Jeremy Browne): There is no incompatibility Speaker, that the internet is a valuable tool for empowering between the Vienna convention on consular relations, people around the world, for opening up the world which is an international treaty ratified by 172 countries, politics and for giving people greater freedom of and which defines a framework for consular relations information. However, that should not be confused between independent countries, and the development of with safeguarding the legitimate private realm. the internet, which is indeed a vital tool in the development of democracy. However, we condemn the release of Gulf Countries classified information through the internet. That can damage national security and may put lives at risk. 3. Paul Uppal (Wolverhampton South West) (Con): What recent assessment he has made of the state of Joseph Johnson: Will the Minister give an assessment relations between the UK and the countries of the of the impact of the WikiLeaks affair on the conduct of Gulf; and if he will make a statement. [30260] diplomacy, and will he say what steps he plans to take, on the one hand, to tighten access to diplomatic cables The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth that need protecting and, on the other hand, to free up Affairs (Mr William Hague): The Government are strongly access to the other information that can and should be committed to elevating our relations with all our partners in the public domain? The latter would also enhance the across the Gulf. We are expanding co-operation with Government’s transparency agenda. Gulf states across the board—in culture, education, defence and security, trade, investment, and foreign Mr Browne: We believe in freedom of information policy co-operation. Gulf states’ reactions to the increased and open and transparent government, but there is a engagement have been very positive, and we will maintain private realm and a legitimate area for confidentiality in the commitment in the coming years. diplomatic relations between nations. We need to get that balance right to ensure that we are secure when Paul Uppal: Over the summer, I met the British trying to safeguard confidential information. That is ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Dominic what we are working to do. Jermey, who told me how impressed he was with the Prime Minister visiting the Emiratis in June. In view of Mr Denis MacShane (Rotherham) (Lab): We have those warm words, will the Foreign Secretary tell me learned that the US Secretary of Defence, Mr Gates, what work his Department is undertaking to ensure believed that that British businesses are supported in exporting to “Russian democracy has disappeared and the government was an Gulf nations? oligarchy run by the security services”. Who could possibly disagree? Instead of the wet willies Mr Hague: I am very glad to know that the ambassador whimpering over WikiLeaks from the Front Bench and was pleased with the Prime Minister’s visit—it made a wanting to lock up Mr Assange, would it not be better huge impact on the United Arab Emirates. My hon. 797 Oral Answers14 DECEMBER 2010 Oral Answers 798 Friend is right that my right hon. Friend the Prime Mr Hague: Although we did not discuss that specifically Minister made his visit in his first few weeks in office, at the NATO summit, it is clearly important that NATO and since then Her Majesty the Queen has made a state nations work together on training. It is also part of our visit to the UAE and many of us on the Government new defence treaty with France that the UK and France Front Bench have also visited, so there has been a will work together to a much greater extent on sharing serious elevation of relationships. It is also true that training facilities, so I will ensure that, between the there are many commercial opportunities, to which my Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence, we look at hon. Friend referred. We export about £15 billion-worth further opportunities in the area that my hon. Friend of goods and services to the Gulf, but we can do much has raised. more. British embassies in the region and UK Trade & Investment are now poised to put their efforts behind Paul Flynn (Newport West) (Lab): The Lisbon conference that. showed the same irrational optimism about Afghanistan. Can the Minister explain why, if things are going so David Cairns (Inverclyde) (Lab): It was the worst kept well, after spending $52 billion in aid Afghans are still secret in foreign policy that the nation feared most by dying in the streets of Kabul of starvation? the Arab states of the Gulf is not Israel but Iran; we did not need WikiLeaks to tell us that. Given that that is Mr Hague: I do not think that the NATO summit now out in the open, is there an opportunity to forge a showed irrational optimism; I think that it showed new consensus—one that would embrace the countries realism about the situation in Afghanistan. Bringing not just of the EU but of the Gulf region—to convince together all 48 troop-contributing nations of the everyone of the absolute necessity of taking action international security assistance force in one of the sessions against Iran before it develops a nuclear capacity, which at the NATO summit in Lisbon underlined the fact that would be a threat to us all? there are now more countries engaged in what we are doing in Afghanistan than at any stage before. We in no Mr Hague: The hon. Gentleman raises an important way minimise the fact that there are enormous challenges point. I am not going to comment on the WikiLeaks ahead of us on Afghanistan. Today I have laid before allegations, but of course there is enormous concern the House a written ministerial statement that updates about the dangers of nuclear proliferation in the middle hon. Members on where we think we are in Afghanistan. east being sparked by Iran’s policies on its nuclear Many of those challenges, including in development, programme. The Gulf states vary in their relationships remain. with Iran; we have to be clear about that. The United Arab Emirates have recently joined in applying financial Sir Malcolm Rifkind (Kensington) (Con): The Lisbon sanctions against Iran, whereas Oman has a different statement said nothing on the future of tactical nuclear and long historical relationship with Iran and a strong weapons in Europe. As the Foreign Secretary will be relationship with this country, and wants to use its good aware, the United Kingdom gave up its tactical nuclear offices to improve relationships between the west and weapons in the 1990s, as militarily useless and politically Iran. Each of the Gulf states is able to help in its own irrelevant. Will the British Government now support way, and the elevation of our relationships with them multilateral negotiations between NATO and Russia, encourages them to do that. We must join them in that, so that tactical nuclear weapons can be removed from consulting them and being open to their advice about Europe as a whole? how to deal with Iran and other regional issues.