Tag: Baroness Helic

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure women’s participation in future peace negotiations in Syria by supporting women’s groups in Syria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The second meeting of the International Syria Support Group in Vienna on 14 November agreed an outline timetable for Syrian peace negotiations, leading to transitional governance, a new constitution and elections within eighteen months. The International Syria Support Group will now meet on a regular basis, in parallel with Syrian-led discussions facilitated by UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura, to take forward this process.

Ministers and senior officials have made regular representations to the UN Special Envoy and other UN officials to impress upon them the importance of the inclusion of Syrian women’s groups in the peace process. We continue to encourage the moderate Syrian opposition to be gender-inclusive and were pleased that a senior female activist accompanied the Syrian National Coalition President, Khaled Khoja, on his official visit to the UK earlier this month. Our programmes of support to grass roots peace-building initiatives and civil society groups inside Syria support this objective, and are designed to ensure that Syrian women’s voices are heard and that they are represented in political negotiations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking ahead of the EU General Affairs Council on 20 September to engage their EU counterparts on the issue of imposing restrictive measures on individuals in Bosnia and Herzegovina who oppose those who will administer or facilitate the referendum on 25 September.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK Government, together with international partners, is pressing political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to use domestic processes to find a constitutional solution to the issue of the referendum on 25 September. The UK is also engaging with EU partners on how to respond if the referendum does take place on 25th September.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the Euro-Atlantic integration process for Bosnia-Herzegovina, set out in the 2014 UN Security Council Resolution No. 2183.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government is a firm advocate of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) Euro-Atlantic integration. The UK-Germany initiative, launched a year ago (and adopted by the EU), was designed to stimulate reform and energise BiH’s EU perspective. The entry into force of the EU-BiH Stabilisation and Association Agreement on 1 June 2015 marks an important initial step. On the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the Government continues to encourage BiH to enhance its efforts to meet the requirements to proceed with its Membership Action Plan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-10-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of progress made by the African Union pilot project to respond to the needs of victims of sexual violence in the Central African Republic.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

An early assessment suggested that progress on the pilot of the project to respond to the needs on victims of sexual violence was not as swift as we had hoped but that lessons were being learned. We are discussing with the African Union (AU) on how we can better coordinate efforts to address sexual violence in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The UK Government will continue to work with the AU and UN to support their efforts to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence in CAR. We plan to use the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Rules Based International System Strategy Fund to support this work, particularly in regions outside of the Capital, Bangui.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 4 November (HL2981), what were the grades of each of the two full-time members of staff seconded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Office of the Quartet Representative from 2007 to 2013.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office seconded two full-time members of staff to the Office of the Quartet Representative from 2007 until 2013. These consisted of one senior civil servant from June 2007 until March 2010 and then one Grade 6 equivalent from March 2010 until June 2013. This was in addition to one higher executive officer equivalent from June 2007 until December 2010, followed by an executive officer equivalent from January 2011 until August 2012, and then an administrative officer equivalent from September 2012 until June 2013.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-10-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will offer support to the government of Liberia, in the context of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, to implement the recommendations of the United Nations Mission in Liberia report Addressing Impunity for Rape in Liberia; and what diplomatic action they plan to take to encourage other nations to provide assistance in this regard.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We regularly raise sexual violence issues with the government of Liberia, UN agencies and diplomatic colleagues in Liberia. Our Ambassador will discuss this report with relevant parties over the coming weeks to assess where the UK might usefully support the government of Liberia and UN agencies to ensure those responsible for these crimes are held to account.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 4 November (HL2981), what assessment they have made of the impact of the Middle East Quartet Representative on the prospects for peace between Israel and Palestine, and what they have identified as its successes and failures.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

As I said in my previous response of 4 November 2015 (HL2981), the British Government supports the aims and objectives of the Quartet, which has an important role in the Middle East Peace Process through its mandate to mobilise international assistance to the Palestinians and develop plans to promote Palestinian economic development.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-10-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any new initiatives planned to revive or replace the so-called Geneva Two process on Syria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK remains committed to a sustainable political settlement that leads to a political transition in Syria, away from Assad, to a government in Damascus which better meets the needs of the Syrian people and with which we can work to defeat extremism. The Geneva Communiqué, which has been agreed by key international parties, remains a key building block of our efforts on this. On 30 October the UK, US, Russia, key Middle East states and European partners met in Vienna to take forward discussions on this. The Vienna Communiqué sets out areas of agreement and may provide the basis for a new process. The parties have agreed to reconvene within the next two weeks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 4 November (HL2982), what were the reasons for the decision not to appoint a new Middle East Quartet Representative, and what differences exist between the mandate of the Middle East Quartet Representative and the new Head of Mission of the Office of the Quartet.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The reasons for the decision not to appoint a new Middle East Quartet Representative are a matter for the Quartet Principals (UN Secretary General, US Secretary of State, Foreign Minister of Russia and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy).

The “Office of the Quartet Representative” (OQR) has been renamed the “Office of the Quartet” (OQ). It will be led by two highly-regarded individuals: Kito de Boer, who joined in January 2015, will serve as Head of Mission and Sandra Wijnberg, who joined in July 2014, will serve as Deputy Head of Mission.

The Head of Mission of the Office of the Quartet (OQ) is charged with delivering the OQ’s mandate. The mandate remains unchanged, and was set out in a June 2015 statement by the Quartet Principals. It is to “focus on economic and institutional development in the Palestinian Territory, addressing issues related to strengthening investment in the Palestinian private sector, rule of law, and movement and access. The OQ shall work in coordination and complementarity (sic) with bilateral and multilateral partners that implement technical assistance programs in the Palestinian Territory. As such, OQ will play an important role in advancing tangible steps on the ground to advance the Palestinian economy, and preserve the possibility of a two state solution.”

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-10-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria were used to decide which governments to invite to participate in the European Union leaders’ meeting of 25 October to discuss the Western Balkans migratory route.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government understands that on 25 October Commission President Juncker convened leaders from those countries most affected by the migration crisis along the Western Balkans route; namely, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. The emergency meeting was not attended by all 28 Member States of the EU, or all the countries of the Western Balkans. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), participated in a formal EU Conference with Western Balkans and other countries on 8 October in Luxembourg which agreed a comprehensive package of measures for dealing with the challenges of migration through the Eastern Mediterranean.