Vol. 476 No. 5
56 Mr. Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the EU will respond to the request of 24 February 1997 by the EU Working Party on Human Rights that a resolution on China be drawn up, calling for the release of political prisoners, access for international humanitarian organisations to prisoners in Chinese prisons, abolition of arbitrary administrative detention, fair trials and repeal of the laws on counter-revolution. [7471/97]
The European Union body to which the Deputy is referring is the working group with responsibility for human rights under the Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy. The Deputy will be aware that it is not usual practice to divulge the detail of the discussions of such groups, which are conducted on a strictly confidential basis. I can assure the Deputy, however, that our views on human rights abuses in China were expressed fully in this as in other fora, at every level.
The policy of Ireland and our EU partners on human rights in China, and on the possibility of a resolution on the matter at the Annual Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, is set out in my replies to Parliamentary Questions No. 52 of 13 February and No. 43 of 11 March.
