§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Nigerian authorities on the subject of religious conflict. [92047]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWe remain in close touch with the Nigerian authorities on this issue. Officials from the British high commission in Abuja regularly visit the northern states where the majority of religious violence takes place and raise the matter of violence with the governors of the states concerned. In July last year, a British Government team specialising in conflict prevention visited Plateau state to inquire into the causes of violence there and discuss how the British Government might help in preventing further disturbances. The team convened a round-table discussion attended by both Christians and Muslims. We are also supporting the efforts of Coventry Cathedral's Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, who have been trying to build trust between the religious communities in Kaduna over the last year. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the authorities in Gujarat, India on the subject of violence against Christians. [92048]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWe have had no discussions with the authorities in Gujarat at ministerial level. Officials have been in contact with the police authorities in358W Gujarat about the situation there. However, Ministers and officials have raised our concerns with the Government of India on a number of occasions since the violence began in February last year, although not specifically regarding violence against Christians. Most recently, I discussed Gujarat with Mr. I D Swami, the Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs, on 17 October 2002.
We remain very concerned about the welfare of many in Gujarat and continue to urge India to bring to justice the perpetrators of the violence.