To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to prevent the Zimbabwean military increasing its arms capacity. (202526)

[holding answer 1 May 2008]: We believe that, against a backdrop of increasing tension and state-sponsored violence against civilians, it is quite the wrong time for any arms sales to Zimbabwe. We have therefore, with our EU partners, been actively promoting the need for states to refrain from such sales. We raised this issue at the UN Security Council on 29 April. Our embassy in Beijing has also raised our concerns with the Chinese Government. We hope all states will be able to agree to a moratorium on arms sales to Zimbabwe until a democratic Government is in place.