Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 15 Jun 1999

Vol. 506 No. 2

Written Answers. - Human Rights Abuses.

Joe Higgins

Ceist:

133 Mr. Higgins (Dublin West) asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will ask the incoming President of Algeria if it is his intention to open up dialogue with all sections of Algerian society regarding a resolution of the conflict there. [15320/99]

Joe Higgins

Ceist:

134 Mr. Higgins (Dublin West) asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will request the Algerian Government to allow into Algeria the United Nations special rapporteur on torture and extrajudicial executions and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Mary Robinson, to investigate the continuing human rights violations occurring there. [15321/99]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Andrews)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 134 together.

For the first time in several years, there would appear to be some cause for optimism about the situation in Algeria. After the disappointment and dismay that I and others felt at the manner in which the April presidential election was conducted – six of the seven candidates withdrew just before the election, because of their concerns about the probity of the electoral process – we are at last seeing signs of some positive developments.

The Islamic Salvation Army – AIS – announced on 6 June that its guerrilla attacks against the government had ended. On 9 June, Algeria's outlawed Islamic Salvation Front, FIS, the main opposition group, approved the peace deal between the AIS, which is its armed wing, and the government. The front had, in the light of the recent agreement, already asked President Bouteflika to lift the seven year ban which precludes political activity by its members. President Bouteflika has instructed the Algerian Government to introduce legislation offering an amnesty to the AIS rebels and their supporters. This is likely to be presented to the Algerian parliament later this month.

I welcome these positive steps. I sincerely hope the appalling violence witnessed in Algeria since 1992 – violence which claimed the lives of about 70,000 Algerians – is now at an end. However, I also note the warning by Prime Minister Hamdani that, despite the ceasefire, terrorism remains a problem outside the large towns.

As regards the abuse of human rights, earlier in the year, through our ambassador in Madrid who is accredited to Algeria, I made known at the highest levels of the Algerian Government our concerns about human rights abuses. In his meetings with the then President Zeroual and the Foreign Ministry, the ambassador specifically raised the questions of torture and disappearances. Ireland and the EU intend to continue to maintain pressure on the Algerian authorities to give full respect to human rights. The EU has in particular demanded that Algeria accept visits by UN special rapporteurs on torture and on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

The EU statement to the 55th session of the commission on human rights on the question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms expressed the view that it was essential that the Government of Algeria co-operate fully with UN mechanisms, particularly the UN Special rapporteurs mentioned above, and to give full effect to the concluding observations of the UN human rights committee.

At his most recent meeting with the EU Presidency, the Algerian Foreign Minister gave a commitment to study any individual cases that the EU brought to his attention. For this reason, EU member states have been asked to report such cases to the EU Presidency. In recent weeks, I have received information from Amnesty International, which the Irish Embassy in Bonn has forwarded to the Foreign Ministry of Germany, currently in the Presidency, to transmit to the Algerian Government.

With the strong encouragement of Ireland and other EU partners, the EU Presidency will shortly make a demarche to the Algerian authorities about the EU's numerous concerns about human rights abuses in Algeria. Thisdémarche should be seen in the context of the ongoing EU-Algerian dialogue which Ireland wholeheartedly supports.