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Ethiopia

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of respect for human rights in Ethiopia; and what recent discussions he has had on this with the Government of Ethiopia. [40586]

Ian Pearson: We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Ethiopia and regularly raise those concerns with the Ethiopian Government. My noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, did so most recently during his visit to Ethiopia on 17 December when he discussed the current political crisis with Prime Minister Meles.

We will continue to work with the Government of Ethiopia, the international community and other stakeholders to help further progress on human rights and governance issues.

Illegal Weapons Trade

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) Ministers and (b) departmental officials will attend the review meeting of the United Nations programme of action to prevent, combat and eradicate illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. [41537]

Dr. Howells: We expect the UK delegation to the Review Conference to be made up of Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development officials led by our senior Ambassador on disarmament issues.

Indonesia

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to urge the Government of Indonesia (a) to refrain from executing and (b) to release the three Christians imprisoned and sentenced to death in Sulawesi; and if he will make a statement. [39395]

 
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Ian Pearson: On 14 November 2005, the UK expressed to the Indonesian Government the EU's regret at the decision to carry out the executions, and urged the Indonesian Government to refrain from carrying out the executions, and to consider the abolition of the death penalty.

Mr. Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreignand Commonwealth Affairs what recent research his Department has commissioned on (a) religious discrimination, (b) church closures and (c) violence in West Java. [41030]

Ian Pearson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not commissioned any specific research on religious discrimination, church closures and violence in West Java. However, we continually monitor the situation.

We welcome the fact that President Yudhoyono issued an instruction in December 2005 to his Cabinet Secretary, instructing him to ensure that no more places of worship are closed and to assist congregations which no longer have a place of worship.

Mr. Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from religious minorities in Indonesia; and what plans he has to discuss religious minority rights with the Indonesian Government. [41031]

Ian Pearson: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our embassy in Jakarta meet regularly with Indonesian religious minority representatives.

We discuss the rights of religious minorities with the Indonesian authorities regularly, as part of our on-going dialogue. In September this year, President Yudhoyono stressed that the state guaranteed every citizen religious freedom and called on the police and members of the public to act to prevent violence against any faith. The UK co-sponsored with the Indonesian Government in Bali, in July 2005, an international conference to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony. We will continue to co-operate with them on this important objective.

Israel

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he (a) has had and (b) is planning to have discussions with the Israeli Government about UK business contracts that might include transactions in East or West Jerusalem. [40701]

Ian Pearson: We have been in contact with the Israeli Government in the past in support of UK companies seeking business in Israel. However, it is the Government's policy that we will not support companies seeking contracts that involve work in East Jerusalem.

Niger

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations he has made to the Niger Government concerning the attacks upon Christian students by Muslim extremists in Niger state on 21 September at the Bosso campus of the Federal University of Technology at Minna; [28073]
 
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(2) what representations he has made to the Niger Government concerning the attacks on Christians by Muslim extremists on 26 October at Tungan Rogo village in Niger state. [28074]

Ian Pearson: We are concerned by all incidents of inter-religious conflict and violence in Nigeria. We raise incidents with the relevant Federal and State authorities when they are brought to our attention and verified.

Representatives from the British high commission in Abuja repeatedly speak to senior Nigerian Christian and Muslim religious leaders about these issues. They have also spoken to one of the most senior Christian leaders in Northern Nigeria, who is not aware of the specific incidents in Niger State that my hon. Friend refers to.

We also fund projects to build trust between the various religious communities in Nigeria. We are funding the work of the International Centre for Reconciliation to promote understanding between Christians and Muslims in Plateau State. The Department for International Development are also working in two of the states most affected by ethno-religious unrest, Benue and Jigawa.

Religious Freedom

Mr. Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to promote and protect religious freedom as a central objective of foreign diplomacy. [41032]

Ian Pearson: Promotion and protection of human rights is at the heart of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) policy. This includes a commitment to religious freedom throughout the world. We condemn instances where individuals are persecuted because of their faith or belief, wherever they happen and whatever the religion of the individual or group concerned. We urge all states to pursue laws and practices which foster tolerance and mutual respect and protect religious minorities from persecution. The FCO's Annual Report on Human Rights, which was laid before the House on 21 July 2005, provides some further information on the work that we have done in this area.

Su Su Nwe

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Government of Myanmar regarding the detention of Su Su Nwe. [40789]

Ian Pearson: Our ambassador in Rangoon raised the detention of Su Su Nwe, and that of other prisoners of conscience, when she met the Burmese Interior Minister on 26 October 2005 and Burmese Foreign and Labour Ministers on 31 October 2005.

We will continue to raise her case with the Burmese authorities.

UN Convention Against Corruption

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2496W, on the UN Convention Against Corruption, how many written
 
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representations his Department has received from (a) businesses, (b) business organisations and (c) non-governmental organisations on the UK signing and ratification of the UN Convention Against Corruption; and how many of these stated that they were intended to remain confidential between the parties involved. [41626]

Ian Pearson: Due to the number of contacts, their diverse range, the varied nature of representations and the lengthy consultation period on this issue it is not practically possible to identify and list all written representations from all businesses, business organisations and non-governmental organisations. It is therefore also not possible to identify which of those representations stated that they were to remain confidential.

UN Security Council Resolutions

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government supports the proposal for a United Nations Security Council resolution by Vaclav Havel and Desmond Tutu in their report A Threat to the Peace". [40790]

Dr. Howells: We fully support any action in the United Nations, including in the UN Security Council, which would help to promote reform and positive change in Burma. UN Security Council members discussed the situation in Burma on 16 December. The United Kingdom took an active role in this discussion, raising our concerns about human rights abuses, including the detention of political prisoners, internal conflicts and the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

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