To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Sudanese Government's adherence to civil and human rights, with special reference to the recent confiscation of the Al Sahafa newspaper. [124750]

We are concerned about many aspects of human rights in Sudan and monitor the situation closely. Our embassy regularly lobbies the Government of Sudan on human rights, including on press freedom. Most recently, the embassy raised press freedom, including seizures and censorship, with the Director for Human Rights at the Ministry of Justice on 8 July 2003. Press freedom was also raised at the last EU/Sudan dialogue meeting on 19 June 2003.