§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communication he has had with the Iranian Foreign Minister regarding the timing of his visit to Iran; and if he raised the issue of legal proceedings concerning members of the Jewish community in Shiraz in the course of that communication. [121213]
§ Mr. HainThe Iranian authorities are well aware of our concerns about the trial of 13 members of the Jewish community on espionage charges in Shiraz. The Foreign Secretary made these clear to Dr. Kharrazi personally when he visited London in January. We and our EU partners have raised our concerns on many occasions, most recently in the form of a demarche by the EU Presidency in Tehran on 29 April. As the hon. Gentleman will be aware, the Foreign Secretary's visit to Tehran has258W been postponed from 8/9 May to 4/5 July. The Foreign Secretary spoke briefly to Iranian Foreign Minister Kharrazi on 29 April in order to postpone this visit.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 17 April 2000,Official Report, columns 396–97W, what assessment he has made of recent developments in the legal proceedings concerning members of the Jewish community in Shiraz, Iran, with particular reference to the case of Hamid Tefilin; what representations have been made to the Government of Iran about the decision to hold the trial in camera and about the proceedings in general; what steps have been taken by the Government to monitor the trial; and if he will make a statement. [121141]
§ Mr. HainWe and our EU partners have raised our concerns about the detention and trial of a number of Iranians including 13 members of the Iranian Jewish community in Shiraz on espionage charges with the Iranian authorities on a number of occasions, most recently in the form of a demarche by the EU Presidency in Tehran on 29 April.
Our Embassy in Tehran is working closely with our EU partners and other like-minded embassies to ensure that events in Shiraz are monitored closely. We are aware of reports emanating from Hamid Tefilin's defence counsel that Mr. Tefilin has confessed to being trained to spy for Israel, but that he has not carried out any espionage activity. We shall continue to monitor events closely.
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Iranian authorities over the banning of newspapers and magazines. [121136]
§ Mr. HainWe and our EU partners have been following closely events in Iran. We note that the editors of the newspapers and magazines that have been banned are avoiding public comment and urging their supporters to follow suit in an effort to maintain calm.