Human Rights

HC Deb 22 November 1978 vol 958 cc1254-5

75. Mr. Michael Stewart

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress the European Community is making, or the member countries jointly by political co-operation, in the promotion of human rights in the countries with which the Community has dealings.

Dr. Owen

Human rights are taken into consideration in the disbursement of Community aid, and the Community has made clear the importance it attaches to them in the current negotiations for a new EEC-ACP convention. In addition, the Nine, acting in political co-operation, have discussed human rights problems in a number of third countries, and have expressed their views in public statements or & marches to some of the Governments concerned.

Mr. Stewart

Can my right hon. Friend say anything about any response that he gets to this from the countries of Eastern Europe?

Dr. Owen

This issue has been mainly dealt with in the Belgrade conference, when the Nine concerted their position and negotiated throughout very closely in touch. Many of the violations of human rights that we felt were a breach of the Helsinki final act were raised in specific terms with countries of Eastern Europe at the conference. I cannot claim that we had great success, but I published all the results and the follow-up documents to the House and will keep in close touch.

Mr. Luce

Since it is essential that the Community should not support, particularly through our taxation system, those regimes which show a gross abuse of fundamental human rights, will the Secretary of State insist that such an understanding should be incorporated in a renegotiated Lome convention when that comes about?

Dr. Owen

We are trying to negotiate it. It is difficult to say that we should insist on it. We have not as yet been able to persuade all the parties to the negotiation of the need for it. We have not shifted our position. We still believe that we need that provision in order not to put ourselves in a situation where we are acting illegally, and at present I do not believe that the convention gives us enough legal cover to take action to refuse aid under human rights criteria. But we need to do so. We have found the situation in Uganda and many other countries very difficult to cope with under the convention as it is currently drafted.