§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, at his meeting with Crown Prince and Foreign Minister of Bahrain on 28 January, the Foreign Secretary referred to:
- (a) the situation of five exiles who were recently convicted in absentia by the State Security Court in Bahrain;
- (b) the attempt by Sheikh Zaid bin Sultan al-Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, in September 1997 to open communications for mediation between the Bahraini Government and the representatives of the democratic opposition in the United Kingdom;
- (c) the detention without trial of opposition leaders, including Sheikh Abdul Amir al-Jamri; and
- (d) the request made by the Committee for Popular Petition asking for a meeting with the Amir. [HL393]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean):The discussions of my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary with the Bahraini Crown Prince and Minister of Foreign Affairs on 28 January covered many areas of mutual concern but focused mainly on the current situation in Iraq. Their discussion addressed the issue of constitutional development and, as I told the noble Lord in my Answer of 4 February, my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary raised the issue of a dialogue between the Bahraini authorities and the Committee for Popular Petition.