Senior Russian human rights advisors meet the Minister of State The Chairman of President Boris Yeltsin’s Commission on Human Rights Vladimir Kartashkin, accompanied by the Vice-President of the Commission Major-General Nikita Chaldymov, are to meet with Joyce Quin MP, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, during a visit to Britain organised by Coventry University.

The two members of the Commission will be joined in their discussions by Coventry MP Jim Cunningham and staff from Coventry University’s School of International Studies and Law who have organised the visit.

Noel Hibbert from Coventry University who will be part of the delegation said:

"On Wednesday, 10 February we will be meeting with members of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee and discussing the New Labour Government’s ethical foreign policy and the role played in this by the Committee. This will hosted by the Chair of the Committee Donald Anderson MP.

"On Thursday, 11 February, we will meet the Minister of State Joyce Quin. At this meeting we will also discuss the relevance of the Government’s ethical foreign policy for Russia and Chechnya, given heightened importance by the recent deaths of British hostages in Chechnya", added Noel.

The delegation will also discuss the funding of a ‘Handbook on Human Rights for Russia and Chechnya’, and the University’s Virtual Reality Institute project. This will provide a hi-tech link between four Moscow military academies and an Anglo-Russian Curriculum Development Team, enabling the academies to download learning modules on democratic control of the security forces and human rights preservation for use with serving military officers.

"The anticipated outcome of these meetings will be an agreement with British Government ministers to fund a series of strategically targeted projects relating to democracy and human rights in Russia", comments Noel Hibbert.

Running in parallel with this activity will be a 20-day course for Russian military officers on ‘National Approaches to the Management of Democracy and Human Rights in the Armed Forces’, taking place at Coventry University from 7-27 February. As part of the course on 12 February Peter Truscott MEP will address the issue of the military, the legislature and the role of a loyal parliamentary opposition.