HL Deb 07 June 1999 vol 601 cc140-1WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which members of the staff of the British Embassy in Ankara they anticipate will attend the trail of Mr. Abdullah Ocalan; and what responses they have received to their representations to the Turkish Government concerning attacks on, and death threats against, Mr. Ocalan's defence counsel. [HL2558]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

We hope that Members of the Political Section from the Embassy in Ankara or the Consultate-General in Istanbul will be able to attend the trial of Mr. Ocalan.

In response to concerns raised by the German Presidency of the EU on 5 May, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs regretted the reported mistreatment of Mr. Ocalan's lawyers. They reiterated the commitment of the Turkish authorities to the principle of Mr. Ocalan receiving the best defence possible in an unhindered way.