Written question asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative) on Monday, 18 December 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 January 2007. It was answered by Geoffrey Hoon (Labour) on Monday, 8 January 2007 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Peru

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports she has received of activity of the Shining Path guerrilla movement in the Ayacucho region of Peru; and what recent representations she has made on tackling illegal coca-growing in that country.

Answer: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office follows events in Peru closely through our embassy in Lima and with our EU partners. We are aware of the recent events that took place in Ayacucho. The UK has regular discussions with the Peruvian authorities about terrorism and drugs, including the alleged links between remnants of Shining Path and the illegal drugs trade. We also support a number of projects on drugs and crime prevention, at national and regional level. In October this year the Head of the Peruvian National Commission for Development and Life Without Drugs, the government agency tasked with co-ordinating national drugs policy, visited the UK. Following a series of meetings, further areas of co-operation were identified.

Secondary information