Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 2:50 pm on 29 October 2003.
Lord Howell of Guildford
Shadow Minister (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs)
2:50,
29 October 2003
My Lords, may I press the noble Baroness a little further on that question? Does she accept our view that the Government were right to uphold the travel ban in relation to the IPU, even though the consequences have been a little unfortunate? But as for the meeting in Nigeria in December, surely the world should be moving to prevent such a journey taking place. Is it enough simply to wring our hands? Can we not mobilise support within the Commonwealth, of which we are a partner and a member, to prevent Mugabe and his gang going to Nigeria and to bring home the argument that merely because they have been suspended for one year they have somehow fulfilled their penalties and should be allowed back in? Surely we should reject that view with the utmost vigour.