§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the principal concerns of the Government about human rights in Sudan.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe have many concerns. These include reports of extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detentions and instances of torture, and the plight of displaced persons. We are also concerned at the lack of progress towards a genuinely accountable form of government acceptable to all sections of Sudan, and at interference with fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of religion and expression.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made by the Christian churches operating in Sudan to the British Government about the conditions under which they operate in Sudan.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe have had written and oral representations from the Anglican Church and other churches active in Sudan, both Protestant and Catholic, expressing concern at official harassment of Christian communities throughout the country. We are naturally concerned. We will keep in touch with the churches about ways of maintaining pressure on the Sudanese Government.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government have made about the safety of the Nuba people in Sudan; and if the Government will make special representations to the United Nations that an international team should be sent to the Nuba mountains to find out what has been happening to the Nuba people.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe are deeply concerned by the accounts which have reached us over recent months of human rights abuses in the Nuba Hills. We trust that the Government of Sudan will give unhindered access to the special rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights so that he can investigate these reports.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what pressure he is putting on the combatants in the Sudanese civil war to reach a peaceful settlement.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe have urged all parties to the civil war to resolve Sudan's problems through negotiation. We welcome the Nigerian Government's success in reconvening peace talks between delegations of the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when it is expected that the special rapporteur to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights will start his work on Sudan.
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§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe special rapporteur will start his work as soon as possible after his appointment has been confirmed by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. We shall work for this decision to be made as soon as possible. Preliminary work has already begun at the centre of human rights in Geneva.