Written question asked by Tess Kingham (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 December 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 December 1999. It was answered by Lord Hain (Labour) on Monday, 20 December 1999 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that UN sanctions against UNITA in Angola are implemented effectively - Inc figures.

Answer: Ms Kingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to ensure that UN sanctions against UNITA in Angola are implemented effectively. [102492] Mr. Hain: We fully support UN sanctions against UNITA, the work of the UN Sanctions Committee on Angola, chaired by Ambassador Fowler, and the Expert Panels, established to look at ways to tighten implementation of sanctions. We are contributing US$200,000 to the Panels' work. We have also called for stricter enforcement of sanctions by all UN member states. We are investigating UNITA's re-supply routes and will pass on what we learn to Ambassador Fowler. The UK fully implements UN sanctions decided upon by the Security Council of the United Nations in its resolutions 864 (1993), 1127 (1997) and 1173 (1998) by means of restrictions imposed in Orders in Council under the United Nations Act 1946, by an amendment to the Open General Import Licence in respect of diamonds and by other administrative means. We have recently frozen funds in the UK, in accordance with UNSCR 1173. Information concerning potential breaches of sanctions by UK nationals or companies is passed immediately to the appropriate UK enforcement authorities.

Secondary information