The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to appoint a new Special Envoy to (a) Yemen and (b) Oman.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
There are no current plans to appoint a new special envoy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which of the recommendations made by the APPG for Yemen in its report, Conflict in Yemen, the forgotten crisis, published in October 2015 have been adopted by his Department.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We welcomed the report and share the APPG’s concern about the serious humanitarian crisis in Yemen. A political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and end the conflict. The UK continues to strongly support the work of UN Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, and his tireless efforts in working with all parties to bring about peace in Yemen. The UK has continued to engage including at senior levels in support of the UN Special Envoy’s work. Along with my US, Saudi Arabian and Emirati counterparts, we released a Communiqué calling for an immediate return to the Cessation of Hostilities after meetings held on 21 September at the United Nations General Assembly.
We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by actors in the conflict and take these very seriously. It is important that all sides conduct thorough and conclusive investigations into incidents where it is alleged that IHL has been breached. We regularly raise the importance of compliance with IHL with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the military Coalition. Saudi Arabia has publicly stated that it is investigating reports of alleged violations of IHL, and that lessons will be acted upon. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to take steps to bring about an international commission into the killings in Rabaa in June 2013.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Egyptian Government under Interim President Adly Mansour established a National Fact Finding Committee in 2013 to investigate the events following President Morsi’s removal. Their mandate was to examine these events and their implications, issue recommendations, review existing legal cases, and on the basis of evidence collected, establish whether additional legal action was warranted.
A 57-page executive summary of its conclusions was released in December 2014. The conclusions included recommendations for the police, educational institutions, the legislature, investigative authorities and the media. Since the publication of the summary of the Fact-Finding Committee’s report, the UK has encouraged the Egyptian Government to release the report in full, and has stressed the importance of accountability for the deaths that took place during the clearances. This remains our policy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with officials of the Egyptian government on the killings in Rabaa in June 2013.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK Government was deeply concerned by the clearance of the sit-ins on 14 August 2013, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of protestors and a number of police officers. We raised our concerns with the Egyptian Government at the highest levels, as well as in the EU Foreign Affairs Council and the United Nations Human Rights Council. The then Foreign Secretary, Lord Hague of Richmond, issued a statement at the time of the violence, in which he condemned the use of force in clearing protests in Egypt and called on the security forces to act with restraint. I personally raised this issue with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on 9 September 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to discuss the situation in the Maldives with John Kerry.
Alok Sharma
The Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), has no plans to discuss the situation in the Maldives with John Kerry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the US in respect of coalition obligations to exclude from forces preparing to expel Daesh from Mosul any militias which are assessed as lacking respect for (a) human rights and (b) the laws of war; and what assessment he has made in such regards of the Shiite militia Hashd al-Shaabi.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The coalition goal is to liberate Mosul by expelling Daesh in a way that minimises the humanitarian impact, civilian casualties and human rights abuses and violations. We have spoken to Coalition partners, including the US and the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government, and have made clear that forces taking Mosul need to respect human rights and laws of armed conflict. All training provided by the UK includes Law of Armed Conflict training and an awareness of human rights.
Ultimately the forces used will be determined by the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government. The Coalition however will not support units which it has concerns about, including certain Shia militia units.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the implications for Spain’s capacity to affect commercial activity of the three mile limit of Gibraltar’s territorial waters; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Alan Duncan
Her Majesty’s Government will continue to challenge and protest aganist all incursions in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, including any attempt by Spanish authorities to assert jurisdiction. We would respond robustly to any attempts by Spain to prevent commercial firms or private individuals from using Gibraltar port facilities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to (a) help strengthen and lengthen the recently announced ceasefire in Syria and (b) ensure that humanitarian access in that area remains practicable.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson),welcomed the restored Cessation of Hostilities which began on 12 September. The key components of this Cessation were an end to attacks on civilians and moderate groups, and full humanitarian access across Syria.
However, the Cessation of Hostilities was eroded and discredited by regime violations and has now broken down. We are seeing some of the worst violence of the conflict in the appalling, indiscriminate bombardment of Aleppo.
The UK will continue to work with our partners to keep the focus on what is happening, to call for the Cessation of Hostilities to be restored – with full humanitarian access – to allow the resumption of a political process. Political transition away from Asad is the only long-term solution.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to make extension of the 1966 UK-US Agreement on the British Indian Ocean Territory conditional on a commitment by both parties to support and facilitate resettlement of the Chagossians.
Sir Alan Duncan
The US presence on the island of Diego Garcia is governed by a series of agreements, called Exchanges of Notes, of which the overarching agreement sets out the whole Territory should be made available for UK and US defence purposes for an initial 50 year period of 1966 to 2016. If neither side object during a two year window of December 2014 to December 2016, the agreement will continue as it stands until end December 2036. The Government welcomes the US presence on Diego Garcia and we continue to discuss with the US Government their continued presence beyond 2016. We have consulted a range of stakeholders, including the US, as we work towards a decision on resettlement of BIOT. The Government is examining its policy closely and will announce developments to Parliament and the public in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations her Department has received on reports that Syrian businesses approved by the EU and by the US government have received aid payments from the UN mission in Syria.
Rory Stewart
My Department has not made any direct aid payments to Syrian businesses. Our aid is delivered through the United Nations, international non-governmental organisations and other international organisations.
The UN, which operates in a very difficult environment in Syria, has assured us that they comply with all relevant sanctions.