Ivor Callely
Question:133 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the political and human rights situation in Iran and Iraq; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23895/01]
Written Answers. - Human Rights Abuses.
The political and human rights situations in Iraq and Iran are separate issues and are not comparable. I will therefore respond separately on both.
The political and human rights situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate. The regime of Saddam Hussein which has been in place in Iraq since 1979, controls all organs of state, government and public life. The UN Commission for Human Rights earlier this year adopted a resolution strongly condemning the systematic, widespread and extremely grave violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law by the Government of Iraq, resulting in an all-pervasive repression and oppression sustained by broad-based discrimination and widespread terror. This includes the suppression of freedom of thought, expression, information, association, assembly and movement of persons through fear of arrest, imprisonment, torture, execution, expulsion, summary and arbitrary executions including political killings, enforced and involuntary disappearances, and the use of rape as a political tool.
The government of Iraq continues to reject the demand of the Security Council that it allow UN arms inspectors to verify that it is not engaged in the production of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. It refuses to comply with UN Resolution 1284, adopted in December 1999, which established a new arms inspection body, the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, UNMOVIC, and provided for the suspension of UN sanctions if the government allowed arms inspections to be renewed.
Ireland and our EU partners remain gravely concerned at the repressions endured by the people of Iraq at the hands of the Hussein regime, and at the humanitarian crisis in the country resulting from the Government's continuing defiance of UN. resolutions and its deliberate obstruction of the UN. humanitarian efforts in Iraq. The EU will table a resolution on the human rights situation in Iraq at the current session of the UN General Assembly, which will again condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrendous violations of human rights by the Government of Saddam Hussein.
Presidential elections took place in Iran on 8 June 2001. President Khatami was re-elected with 77% of the popular vote. A new government appointed by the president was approved by the Iranian Parliament in early September. President Khatami has stated that his new government will continue to advance his existing programme of economic, social and political reforms. It is expected that, as with the previous Khatami government, the progress of those efforts will be dependent on the balance in the positions of the various political and clerical institutions in Iran.
Ireland and our EU partners have welcomed the political reform process under way in Iran and the improving relations between Iran and the EU.
Ireland and the EU remain concerned at the human rights situation in Iran. In particular, we are concerned at recent court decisions in the areas of political and press freedom, and on the death penalty, where the EU deeply deplores the resumption of stoning as a means of execution. President Khatami has expressed his concern at these developments, but his government can exercise only limited influence on the courts, which are controlled by the religious establishment.
Earlier this year, the EU successfully tabled a Resolution at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on the situation in Iran. The EU is currently preparing a draft resolution for the current session of the UN General Assembly. This will,inter alia, call on Iran to continue its efforts and take further measures to ensure full respect of human rights and the rule of law. It will address the still-existing discrimination in Iran against women and against persons belonging to certain minorities, in particular the Baha'is It will call for Iran to co-operate with the Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the country.