Written question asked by Angus Robertson (Scottish National Party) on Thursday, 2 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 March 2006. It was answered by Ian Pearson (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 March 2006 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the co-operation provided by (a) Uganda and (b) Rwanda to the United Nations with regard to the illegal trade in minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: While there is no UN embargo on the trade of minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN Group of Experts on the DRC arms embargo has been investigating the links between resource exploitation and the import of weapons by armed groups and militias in DRC. They have sought information from the Governments of the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda relating to cross-border trade in natural resources, but have not yet received the co-operation they hoped for.The Group of Experts met with representatives of all three regional governments to underline its continuing concerns. The UK, along with other UN Security Council (UNSC) members, has also urged governments at the highest level during UNSC missions to Central Africa to co-operate with the Group of Experts.

Secondary information