Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs written question – answered at on 11 June 2012.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Richmond Park of 23 March 2012, Official Report, column 756W, on the Democratic Republic of Congo, if he will assess the compatibility of drilling for oil in the Virunga National Park and UNESCO World Heritage site in Democratic Republic of Congo with international agreements on nature conservation and world heritage; and if he will make a statement.
The EU is financing a study of the potential impacts of oil exploration in Virunga. We fully support this work, which we are part funding through our direct contributions to the EU. The decision on whether oil exploration should be allowed to go ahead in Virunga is for the Congolese Government. It is also their responsibility to decide whether drilling for oil in the Virunga National Park is compatible with international agreements on nature conservation and world heritage. We expect countries which have signed up to international conventions to abide by their obligations under them. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend Mr Mitchell, made this clear to President Kabila when they met in April.
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