PRESS CONFERENCE BY FOREIGN SECRETARY OF UNITED KINGDOM

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY FOREIGN SECRETARY OF UNITED KINGDOM

At a Headquarters press conference this morning, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said he was deeply concerned about a British nurse who had been sentenced to 500 lashes for murder in Saudi Arabia earlier today.

"We regard such a sentence as totally unacceptable in the modern world", Mr. Cook said, adding that the British Government was urging Saudi authorities to stop the sentence from being carried out. The woman sentenced was one of two British nurses charged with killing an Australian woman last year. He hoped to meet with his Saudi counterpart this week to discuss the matter. The main concern of the British Government was to halt the sentence.

Replying to a question about the proposal of the League of Arab States to try the suspected bombers of Pan Am flight 103 in The Hague, he responded that a United Nations resolution required that the suspects be tried in Scotland, where the bombing occurred in 1988. It was "unwise" for any group of Member States to ignore a United Nations resolution, he said, adding that ignoring one resolution "undermines the authority of all United Nations resolutions".

Mr. Cook said the British authorities had compiled considerable evidence against the suspects and that they should answer for the crime in the country where it had been committed. He was confident that the suspects would receive a fair trial in Scotland and that international observers would be present to help insure fairness. He ruled out having a Scottish jury sit in another country for the trial. The Libyan authorities have yet to release the suspects for trial.

Asked about a proposal that would help mitigate the problems caused by countries which had not paid all their United Nations assessments, Mr. Cook said Member States should accept the entire "track two" reform proposal of the Secretary-General. "If people start to unpick those parts they don't like, then the whole package comes undone", he said.

A key issue relating to track two was agreement on a new scale of assessments, and that countries paid their dues once that formula was agreed upon. Countries that were in arrears posed a serious problem for the existence of the United Nations. He urged the Congress of the United States, which owes the largest amount of money to the United Nations, to meet the commitments of the United States to the international community.

On the issue of Kashmir, Mr. Cook said the British Government has offered to help mediate a solution to the problem in the past and had continued to encourage a peaceful solution. The dialogue that had begun between India and Pakistan was encouraging, he added, expressing the hope to meet leaders from both sides next month when he would visit the region.

Mr. Cook was also questioned about the effects of United Nations sanctions on Iraqi civilians. He said the United Kingdom supported the resolutions to allow Iraq to sell oil in order to raise funds to solve humanitarian problems. He added that Iraqi President Saddam Hussain had refused to meet United Nations demands under Security Council resolutions and that has delayed the sale of oil. President Hussain had also funded the expansion of his palace and continued to strengthen Iraq's military, despite the humanitarian problems the country was facing. Mr. Cook was also asked if the United Kingdom would restrict the number of those seeking political asylum due to threats of international terrorism. Mr. Cook said his Government continued to follow the United Nations requirements for asylum. It judged each case on its merits and granted asylum when the courts were satisfied that there was a legitimate fear of political persecution in the person's home country. "But we cannot withdraw asylum because of political pressure", he said. In response to a question about the status of Hong Kong, Mr. Cook said he intended to discuss the matter in his meeting with Chinese leaders later today. His main concern was that the people of Hong Kong would be able to maintain prosperity and individual freedoms. To date, the Chinese Government had abided by the agreements reached with the British Government before Hong Kong had been handed over to Chinese rule and he expected that would continue. On the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the investigation of corruption in Sarajevo, he said the British Government had asked that there be greater disclosure and accountability on the part of the Government there. The response however, had not addressed those areas of concern, and the Government had established criminal proceedings for those accused of corruption instead of creating permanent solutions. Mr. Cook was asked if he supported the trial of war criminals in Bosnia instead of in The Hague. He responded that he would not rule out the idea, but concerns of security of hearings and witnesses would have to be addressed. Asked about British help for the people of Montserrat to cope with the effects of the recent volcanic eruption on the island, he said his Government would continue to assist those who wanted to leave the island and would also help with its future development. He recalled that the Chief Minister of Montserrat had recently had successful talks in London with the British Prime Minister. Responding to a question about the forthcoming Security Council ministerial meeting on Africa, he said the United Kingdom had had a major historical role in Africa. It had very strong ties and very substantial programmes there. It also had very powerful diplomatic and political interests in Africa, and would host the Commonwealth Summit in London in October, at which many African countries would be represented. He said Africa was a continent with many problems and the only one which had failed to see economic growth in the past decade. As a result of growing poverty, the country had seen many conflicts within and across its borders. Africa was the continent which was benefiting the least from the global economy and was not attracting significant foreign investment. Many wealthy Member States would have to join together to help reverse Africa's decline.

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