§ Mr. Patrick Thompsonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights record of the Chilean Government; and how Her Majesty's Government intend to vote on the World Bank structural adjustment loan for Chile.
§ Mr. EggarNo one should doubt our continuing concern over human rights abuses in Chile. We frequently made clear to the Chilean Government, both bilaterally, in concert with our EC partners, and in the United Nations, our view that human rights there must be restored and fully respected. Our concerns were expressed most recently before the General Assembly on 18 November.
We voted on 20 November in favour of the approval of the structural adjustment loan for Chile; but this was simply and solely in accordance with our established policy of voting on such loans on the basis of technical criteria and with the World Bank's articles of agreement which require it to take decisions exclusively on the basis of economic considerations. Her Majesty's Ambassador has simultaneously made clear to the Chilean Government that our concerns over their human rights record are in no way diminished.