§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in improving human rights in Guatemala. [162608]
§ Mr. Rammell2003 was a poor year for human rights in Guatemala. There was much violence in the run up to the presidential elections in November and December 2003. However, we have noted positively the efforts President Berger has made since his inauguration on 14 January to improve human right in Guatemala.
Berger's first public act as President was to declare his commitment to the Guatemalan Peace Accords signed in 1996, and on 25 February he announced the establishment of a new national commission to oversee implementation of the Accords. Given the undertakings in the Peace Accords this should help improve the human rights in particular of indigenous groups. President Berger has appointed a respected human rights campaigner, Frank la Rue, as his Presidential Commissioner on Human Rights. I welcome this appointment.
When I visited Guatemala in January, 1 stressed the importance of human rights issues to the new Vice-President. We have also encouraged the new Guatemalan 557W Government to implement in full the 1996 Peace Accords. Our Embassy in Guatemala City will continue to monitor human rights closely.