Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-10-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent progress towards achieving a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The only way to end the conflict in Syria is through a negotiated settlement to create an inclusive government, which can protect its people from the tyranny of ISIL and other extremists. We support the efforts of UN Special Envoy de Mistura to facilitate this. Russian actions have complicated the situation in Syria, making a political transition less likely. It is clear that Russia is carrying out airstrikes against the moderate opposition, who must be part of a political process. We call on Russia to stop targeting moderate opposition groups and to use its influence with the regime to deliver genuine negotiations on a political transition.