§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's commitment to human rights in their conduct of foreign policy.
§ Mr. MellorWe are firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and seek universal observance of the standards which have been agreed internationally for that purpose. We are concerned about violations of human rights wherever they occur and regularly raise such problems in our bilateral contacts with other Governments and in international forums such as the United Nations. Our position was set out clearly in the statement issued by Foreign Ministers of the Twelve on 21 July 1986. Copies of that statement and of the speech given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the United Nations Commission on human rights on 18 February have been placed in the Library.