Vol. 423 No. 1
381 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to a report (details supplied) that Coptic Christians are being killed by extremists in the Asyut Province, Egypt; if he has made any inquiries about this; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I am aware of recent outbreaks of violence in the Assiut Province of Egypt which have claimed a number of lives, including those of members of the Coptic Christian community — a long-established and significant minority in Egypt. Responsibility for the violence has been attributed to extreme Islamic fundamentalists in the region. The Egyptian Government has responded to these events and to other acts of violence by strengthening the country's anti-terrorist legislation. The Government there is faced with the task of combating terrorist violence while seeking to uphold human rights.
The situation is reviewed as necessary within the framework of European Political Co-operation and we will continue to keep in touch with the situation through our participation in that process as well as through reports from our embassy in Cairo.
