Letter from the Head of PRDD, Foreign
and Commonwealth Office, to the Clerk of the Committee
TURKEY
In your letter of 23 July you highlighted a
number of areas where the Committee had requested additional information
or updates.
1. Torture: While in recent years,
the Foreign Office has not worked directly with Amnesty International's
International Secretariat in developing human rights projects
for Turkey, we have nonetheless consulted local NGOs, who have
first hand experience of the human rights situation there, including
the local Amnesty International representative. In addition, some
of the officers within the Foreign Office involved in designing
and evaluating human rights projects for Turkey have experience
of working in the NGO sector for human rights organisations, including
for Amnesty International. We consult Amnesty International regularly
on a range of human rights issues. We intend to assure Amnesty's
International Secretariat that their suggestions regarding FCO
project development in Turkey would be most welcome. All NGOs
are welcome to submit proposals for projects in Turkey to the
Human Rights Project Fund.
2. Assistance from the UK and EU:
The extension of PHARE funding to Turkey is under consideration
in the Commission. We expect to see their proposals in mid-October,
and will keep the Committee informed.
3. Assitance from the UK and EU:
Decisions on the allocation of funding from Spending Round 2002
will be taken at the end of September. We will write again to
the Committee once the allocations have been agreed.
4. Cyprus: As the Committee are
aware, our goal, and that of all Member States is for a reunited
island to be accepted for EU membership at Copenhagen. However,
in the event that the efforts for a settlement are unsuccessful
and as we approach the Copenhagen deadline, we are aware that
contingency plans on the handling of accession by a divided island
will be necessary. Once these plans are complete, and in the event
that it becomes clear that a divided island will be accepted at
Copenhagen, we will want to share our thinking with the Committee.
5. Bilateral relations: Allocations
for Chevening Scholarships for Wider Europe Command following
the increase in funds from Spending Round 2002 have yet to be
considered. We shall provide the Committee with an updated table
as soon as the new allocations have been made.
We will respond to the other issues raised in
the letter in due course and, in any event, not later than 30
November.
Parliamentary Relations and Devolution Department
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
17 September 2002
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