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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the action taken by his Department to address human rights violations in Middle Eastern states with particular reference to (a) Saudi Arabia, (b) Syria and (c) Iran. [143549] Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and Foreign Office Ministers have discussed human rights concerns with their opposite numbers in these countries on many occasions. We also raise concerns through the EU. On Saudi Arabia, we continue to have concerns about the failure to implement basic human rights norms. We have raised the use of capital punishment with the Saudi authorities, doing so most recently in conjunction with EU partners on 20 April 2003. My hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Mike O'Brien) raised a range of civil society issues with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his visit to Damascus on 5 March 2003. The Foreign Secretary most recently raised concerns about human rights in Iran, including restrictions on freedom of expression, with his Iranian counterpart in September 2003. The UK co-sponsored a Canadian- tabled resolution on human rights in Iran at the United Nations General Assembly in November this year.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

143549; 415 c734-5W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Capital punishment Human rights Saudi Arabia Iran Syria Middle East

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk