To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any plans exist to use BBC transmitters in Oman and Cyprus for special broadcasts in Arabic to the people of Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

There is none. The BBC World Service continues to use the transmitters in Oman and Cyprus for its regular broadcasts in English and Arabic, which can be heard throughout the middle east, including Iraq. Since the crisis began, in August 1990, the BBC has increased the hours of Arabic transmissions from nine to 14 hours a day and those of English broadcasts to 24 hours a day in the region.