HC Deb 29 November 2000 vol 357 cc621WW-2W
Mr. David Atkinson

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent meetings with the President of Kazakhstan. [140700]

Mr. Vaz

At their meeting in London on 17 November, the Foreign Secretary and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed UK investment in Kazakhstan and the need for more legal transparency for investors, the development of parliamentary links, and regional security problems. The Foreign Secretary also raised democratic reform and human rights issues. He urged President Nazarbayev to sign the UN Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Similar issues were discussed at the President's separate meetings with the Prime Minister and me.