§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of developments in the human rights situation in Turkey; what representations have been made to him; and if he will make a statement. [131444]
§ Mr. MacShaneWe welcome Turkey's progress in the protection of human rights and the constitutional and legislative changes that it has made since October 2001. The recent 6th and 7th EU-related reform packages were particularly far reaching. Consistent and effective implementation of these is now crucial, so we are encouraged by the Turkish Government's increasing emphasis on the practical application of new laws, and its creation of a committee, under Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, to monitor progress.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office monitor the human rights situation in Turkey closely. We maintain a strong network of contacts in both our missions in Ankara and Istanbul, and in London. We regularly meet local and multinational NGOs, European and International bodies which monitor Turkey's human rights performance and members of the government. We also attend human rights trials wherever possible and liaise with EU partners to maintain an EU presence at key events throughout the country. We conduct an 1059W on-going bilateral dialogue with Turkey on human rights, the most recent round of which took place in Ankara on 23 October.
For a full assessment of the human rights situation in Turkey 1 refer the hon. Member to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Human Rights Report 2003, which is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: www.fco.gov.uk/policy/global-issues/humanrights/reports.