Written question asked by Jeremy Corbyn (Labour) on Wednesday, 2 May 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 8 May 2001. It was answered by John Battle (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 May 2001 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he will make to the Colombian Government concerning the rights of the peace communities in Colombia not to be intimidated by military and paramilitary units.

Answer: Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he will make to the Colombian Government concerning the rights of the peace communities in Colombia not to be intimidated by military and paramilitary units. [160642] Mr. Battle: As I made clear in my statement on 13 February, we are very concerned about the increasing levels of violence in Colombia, and the threats and intimidation that continue to be directed against the civilian population, including the peace communities. The Minister for the Cabinet Office visited Colombia again in March in order to support the Colombian Government's efforts to advance the peace process and protect human rights. She repeated the concerns that we both raised with the Colombian Government during our joint visit in September 2000 about paramilitarism, and strongly urged the authorities to increase their efforts to tackle paramilitary groups. On 20 April, I wrote to the Colombian Ambassador in London reiterating our concern about the human rights situation in Colombia, especially with regard to the protection of vulnerable groups, paramilitarism, and bringing members of the armed forces linked to paramilitaries to justice.

Secondary information