Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs written question – answered at on 23 April 2008.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the extent of observance of human rights in the Somali region of Ethiopia.
We are concerned at reports of human rights abuses in the Somali region of Ethiopia. If breaches of human rights law are proved, then we will condemn them unreservedly and expect those responsible to be held to account. The UK supports the UN's lead in working with the Government of Ethiopia to improve the situation in the Somali region, including to help ensure human rights are respected fully. We recognise Ethiopia's legitimate security concerns in the region and call on Ethiopia to ensure its security response is proportionate and implemented carefully to ensure there is no suffering in the civilian population.
The Government raise their concerns with the Ethiopian Government at regular opportunities. Most recently, our ambassador in Addis Ababa discussed ways to improve the situation in the Somali region with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Seyoum Mesfin, in March. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the Somali region with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister when they met in November 2007. My noble Friend Lord Malloch-Brown raised the issue of human rights when he met Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in late January.
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