Westminster Hall
Wednesday 5 March 2003

Rwanda and the Great Lakes

Mr. Robert Key (Salisbury): I start by congratulating the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb) on securing the debate. It has provided an important opportunity to hear the thoughts of hon. Members, many of whom speak with deep knowledge and have long experience of the part of Africa under discussion.
I look forward to hearing the Minister's response to the hon. Gentleman's important and detailed allegations. It is a pleasure to see the Minister for Europe. I accept that he will not be able to answer all our questions. The Under-Secretary of State for International Development is on important business in Cambodia, and we wish her well, as that, too, is a part of the world that we should not forget. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will be so kind as to respond to some of the points that I shall be raising, as I am sure he will to those made by other hon. Members.
I have heard many people say how well the right hon. Member for Coatbridge and Chryston (Mr. Clarke) led the important Inter-Parliamentary Union delegation. I was pleased to hear him say that, in spite of everything, he had a message of hope for that part of Africa. My hon. Friend the Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson) described graphically the personal horrors that he had witnessed, and he reminded us that the situation remains very fragile in Rwanda, a poor country that continues to suffer.
The hon. Member for South Swindon (Ms Drown) asked whether UK policy was biased. I shall return to that important point, but I share her commitment to ensuring that the Government remain engaged in the part of the world under discussion. The hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (John Barrett) also made many important points.
Will the Minister respond to some intriguing questions that were answered in the other place yesterday? Several hon. Members have referred to the UN panel of experts on the DRC. Yesterday, Baroness Amos referred to Security Council resolution 1457, which extended the mandate of the UN expert panel for a further six months. She said:

"In the light of the panel's findings, Her Majesty's Government will consider taking appropriate action where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing."-[Official Report, House of Lords, 4 March 2003; Vol. 645, c. WA95.]

Will the Minister explain what the appropriate action will be? The hon. Member for North Norfolk gave a well-rehearsed and detailed account, but not much action has followed. What is appropriate? What is action? In an important answer given in the other place yesterday, Lord Bach referred to reservists being called up

"to support operations in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

He said:

"A new call-out order has been made under Section 56 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 so that reservists may continue to be called out to support operations".-[Official Report, 4 March 2003; Vol. 645, c. WA101.]

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What are the operations in the DRC? What is continuing to take place there with the assistance of the British military? I am delighted that the reservists are engaged there and I am sure that they are a great force for good, but I should be grateful to be updated and told exactly what British forces are doing in that part of the world.
An important aspect of illegal exploitation of natural resources is corporate social responsibility in the area. I start with allegations against British companies and nationals. As long ago as last November, according to the excellent briefing of the United Nations Association (UK), a long list of British companies were involved, but not a lot seems to have happened. It is a long time since last November and I hope that the Government will soon decide what action to take. Has DFID requested the available evidence from the UN panel of experts' report? A copy of the evidence could be placed in the Library in both Houses. What is the response to the report? Will DFID make a statement of its intentions in the light of access to the evidence?
The Government should also press Rwanda to publish a serious and comprehensive reaction to the allegations contained in the UN panel of experts' report. I hope that the Government of Rwanda will establish a commission of inquiry to investigate those allegations, similar to the successful commission established by Uganda. Have the British companies named responded and, if they have, has DFID seen copies of those responses? Again, those copies could be placed in the Library so that we can all know what is going on.
On the need for aid in Burundi, at the first donor conference in December 2000, President Mandela said:

"it must be possible for the people of Burundi to materially distinguish between the destructiveness of conflict and the benefits of peace."

Jacob Zuma, the facilitator of the new ceasefire said:

"regional efforts have achieved much progress in Burundi, but a complete peace could not be achieved without the full support of the international community."

The International Crisis Group said that donors should act now and release the promised dividends before faith is lost in the peace process and the situation deteriorates further.
There is a paradox in Burundi: peace will not be possible without international financial support, yet that support will not be forthcoming before peace is achieved. Will the Government release the funds pledged to Burundi? How will DFID deal with the paradox? What assessment has been made of the forthcoming change of leadership in the transitional Government in May? Many people wish to know what level of financial and political support will be provided to enable the swift deployment of observers and peacekeeping troops requested by the UN Security Council on 13 January. Will the Government put pressure on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and to bring to justice those guilty of human rights abuses?
The hon. Member for South Swindon is wholly correct about the need for an integrated regional policy. UK involvement in the region has not been equally balanced. Total UK bilateral aid to Burundi in 2001-02 was £604,000, compared with £10,262,000 to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and £27,189,000 to
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Rwanda. Of the £604,000 for Burundi, £515,000 was humanitarian assistance. DFID recently appointed a permanent member of staff in Burundi-a positive sign that we welcome-and the Department has also contributed £1 million to the World Bank multilateral debt trust fund. DFID is apparently planning to expand its programme in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the establishment of a transitional Government.
I am concerned by the Secretary of State's statement that Rwanda's security depends on regional security. The International Crisis Group report said that donor intervention now could be helpful to achieving peace. Even if the balance of aid is not biased, there is a perception of bias that could cause great tensions state to state and donor to state. Several British non-governmental organisations have said that there is a distinct anti-UK feeling in the DRC because it is perceived-rightly or wrongly-that the UK is bankrolling a country that occupied a third of its territory. There are still allegations of Rwandan involvement. What are the Government doing to deal with the problems surrounding the balance of aid in the region?
It is appropriate that we consider one other issue that has caused suspicion. The Secretary of State for International Development has developed a very good relationship with the President of Rwanda, whom she called, "Such a sweetie." In her genuinely charming way, she will not hear a bad word said against him, which is typical of the right hon. Lady. However, that sometimes gives the impression that there is a special relationship, and I wonder if something should be done to put that right.
Mr. Clarke : I must admit that other special relationships give me greater cause for concern that the one between my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development and the President of Rwanda. I suggest that the hon. Gentleman reads the Hansard account of the debate in the Chamber of 18 December last year, if he has not yet had the opportunity to do so. If he does so, he will acknowledge that what my right hon. Friend has achieved because of that relationship has been truly outstanding. I doubt whether anyone in our delegation disagreed with the views that have been conveyed to us confirming that.
Mr. Key : I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for making that point. It is well worth reading that debate.
Dr. Tonge : The hon. Gentleman is very generous. I want to add that I would not describe the President of Rwanda as a sweetie, but many of us who know what he has done, what he went through and what he achieved to liberate his country believe that, on the whole, he is pretty good news.
Mr. Key : I am sure that he is, but it would be wrong of me not to reflect the concerns that some NGOs have put to me. That is all I want to say on the subject; I certainly do not want to build it up into some great tabloid experience.
Reference was made to MONUC and its work to maintain liaison between the parties and carry out various tasks. It was set up on 30 November 1999 and is
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hugely important. We must ensure that it has sufficient resources both to carry out its current work and to press for a stronger mandate and an enhanced role in peacekeeping and the protection of civilians. Furthermore, it should have unlimited access in its investigations into Governments' and other states' actions. I hope that the UK Government will fully support its work.
Regional peace is crucial. Several hon. Members referred to finding a solution to the crisis in Ituri and the Kivus. I hope that the Government will maintain pressure on the Governments concerned-those of the DRC and Uganda-to implement fully the Pretoria and Luanda accords, primarily to withdraw all foreign forces from DRC territory, to guarantee its future territorial integrity and to cease supplying armed groups in Ituri and the Kivus. I hope that the UK Government will make the strongest possible representations to the Governments of the DRC and Rwanda to ensure the swift effectiveness of the Ituri pacification commission. Reference was made to the memorandum of understanding between the Governments of Rwanda and the United Kingdom in the area of conflict resolution.
Before I conclude my remarks, I should briefly mention the problem of food and water faced by the Great Lakes region. Only 50 per cent. of people in rural areas have access to safe water, and almost 45 per cent. of the deaths of children under five relate to water. We would warmly welcome the Government applying pressure to deal with those problems.
We discussed HIV and AIDS at great length this morning, as the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West pointed out. Tearfund calls the problem of HIV/AIDS in the Great Lakes "the second genocide." A serious issue in the region, the problem is exacerbated by rape, poor infrastructure, and lack of education and access to medicines. The Government's programme on HIV/AIDS is crucial to the area.
Child soldiers are also of concern. They are still present in all the armed groups in the DRC-in some cases, they comprise as much as 35 per cent. of the troops-and they are being sent to the front lines. I hope that the Minister will reassure us that the Government are exerting pressure in that respect.
I end by repeating the message of hope for the region. We in this country are engaged and anxious for our Government to do more and to influence international organisations and the Governments of the countries involved. Above all, we send the people of that region the message that we are engaged. The Prime Minister has given a commitment and the rest of us in the House of Commons feel very strongly about the region. We will not forget its people, despite the other great issues of state that currently confront us.