Irish Prime Minister Warns about Human Rights Abuses

According to a European Report (EU/China) on May 15th, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said on May 12th, after meeting Chinese Premier Wen Jaibao, that he raised the issues of the suppression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement and other human rights violations during a two-hour meeting with Mr. Wen, who was on a two-day state visit to Ireland.

Representing the European Union's Irish Presidency, Mr. Ahern said, "For decades China refused to engage at all with the various human rights bodies." He said that human rights bodies have requested him to raise the issue and that was an important issue.

Mr. Ahern said he had followed the EU line during the meeting, which has urged the Chinese Government to engage in dialogue about human rights issues, rather than being in a state of denial.

"I stressed, as a number of my other EU colleagues did in this five-country visit, how we believe that the Chinese authorities can do this", he said. "I emphasized the importance that if China wanted to make and succeed in making progress in some of the other areas, which they are doing and do want to do, that this is an issue that they have to work with the European Union, not to mention other places in the world, on."