Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the inclusion of neighbouring countries to Iran in any future dialogue with the government of Iran on its nuclear programme.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran's continued systematic non-compliance with its nuclear commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) is jeopardising our efforts to preserve the JCPoA and risks compromising the important opportunity for a return to diplomacy with the new US Administration. We continue to engage closely with the US, JCPoA participants and the region on this, and have made our position clear, including in recent E3 statements, that Iran must halt this activity, and return to compliance with its JCPoA commitments without delay.
We have always been clear that any sustainable solution will need to address a range of issues, in particular Iran's nuclear programme but also regional security concerns, including Iran's ballistic missile programme and destabilising activity. We are committed to engaging regional partners in any future negotiations on regional security.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent call by the President of France for any future dialogue with the government of Iran on its nuclear programme to include Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran's continued systematic non-compliance with its nuclear commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) is jeopardising our efforts to preserve the JCPoA and risks compromising the important opportunity for a return to diplomacy with the new US Administration. We continue to engage closely with the US, JCPoA participants and the region on this, and have made our position clear, including in recent E3 statements, that Iran must halt this activity, and return to compliance with its JCPoA commitments without delay.
We have always been clear that any sustainable solution will need to address a range of issues, in particular Iran's nuclear programme but also regional security concerns, including Iran's ballistic missile programme and destabilising activity. We are committed to engaging regional partners in any future negotiations on regional security.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publicly condemn the killing of the two women Afghan Supreme Court judges in Kabul.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government made strong public condemnations of the killings of the two female Afghan judges, Qadria Yasini and Zakia Herawi, in Kabul. On 17 January, the day of the killings, the Foreign Secretary, our Ambassador in Kabul and I released statements on social media condemning the attack and pressed for an urgent, transparent investigation. I spoke to Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar the following day, during which I expressed my condolences to the people of Afghanistan and reiterated the UK's support for peace. The Government is extremely concerned about the increase in violence and targeted attacks in Afghanistan, particularly against human rights defenders. Joint statements were also released from European Human Rights Ambassadors on 21 January and from our Embassy in Kabul with other international partners' missions on 31 January calling for justice and the immediate end of these attacks.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that those responsible for attacks on Oxfam infrastructure in Yemen are held to account; and what plans they have to publish any information they have gathered about such attacks.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is acutely aware of the risks of delivering lifesaving assistance in the midst of Yemen's conflict. We closely monitor incidents of attacks on humanitarian operations, and we urge all parties to take steps to ensure humanitarian aid and those delivering it are protected.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that UK businesses can trade with Yemen following the government of the United States' designation of the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organisation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We share the concerns raised by the UN and NGOs about the impact of designation on what is already the world's worst humanitarian crisis. We are analysing the US humanitarian and commercial exemptions and are concerned that they are insufficient to avoid a serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
We are engaging with the US to ensure that the vital humanitarian response, including food supplies, is not disrupted. Ministers and officials will also continue to engage closely with the UN and other donors including the US, to ensure life-saving humanitarian aid reaches the millions of Yemenis in need. Our priority is to support the UN's peace process and ensure life-saving humanitarian aid can reach the millions of Yemenis in need.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that UK non-governmental organisations can continue to operate in Yemen following the government of the United States' designation of the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organisation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We share the concerns raised by the UN and NGOs about the impact of designation on what is already the world's worst humanitarian crisis. We are analysing the US humanitarian and commercial exemptions and are concerned that they are insufficient to avoid a serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
We are engaging with the US to ensure that the vital humanitarian response, including food supplies, is not disrupted. Ministers and officials will also continue to engage closely with the UN and other donors including the US, to ensure life-saving humanitarian aid reaches the millions of Yemenis in need. Our priority is to support the UN's peace process and ensure life-saving humanitarian aid can reach the millions of Yemenis in need.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) food, and (2) medical, importers can continue to bring supplies into Yemen following the government of the United States' designation of the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organisation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We share the concerns raised by the UN and NGOs about the impact of designation on what is already the world's worst humanitarian crisis. We are analysing the US humanitarian and commercial exemptions and are concerned that they are insufficient to avoid a serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
We are engaging with the US to ensure that the vital humanitarian response, including food supplies, is not disrupted. Ministers and officials will also continue to engage closely with the UN and other donors including the US, to ensure life-saving humanitarian aid reaches the millions of Yemenis in need. Our priority is to support the UN's peace process and ensure life-saving humanitarian aid can reach the millions of Yemenis in need.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the US Secretary of State's description on 19 January of the government of China's treatment of Uighurs as a genocide.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We will work closely with the incoming US administration to tackle the gross human rights violations taking place in Xinjiang, and continue to lead international condemnation of these violations. On 12 January, the Foreign Secretary announced a robust package of measures to ensure that British organisations, whether public or private sector, are not complicit in, nor profiting from, the human rights violations in Xinjiang. However, it is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent court.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the government of the United States’ decision to designate the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organisation on humanitarian (1) operations, and (2) access, in Yemen.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply concerned by assessments from the UN and NGOs that the US Administration's decision to designate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation is likely to disrupt the humanitarian response and stop vital food supplies getting in to Yemen. We have already engaged with the US to urge them to ensure that the vital humanitarian response, including food supplies and commercial imports, is not disrupted. Ministers and officials will continue to engage closely with the UN and other donors, including the new US administration, to ensure life-saving humanitarian aid reaches the millions of Yemenis in need.
We are calling on all parties in Yemen to facilitate the movement of humanitarian supplies and experts into and across the country to ensure an effective COVID-19 response. We are clear that agreeing a peace settlement will give Yemen the best chance of managing COVID-19.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of (1) the government of the United States’ decision to designate the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organisation, and (2) the COVID-19 pandemic, on (a) hunger, and (b) poverty, in Yemen.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply concerned by assessments from the UN and NGOs that the US Administration's decision to designate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation is likely to disrupt the humanitarian response and stop vital food supplies getting in to Yemen. We have already engaged with the US to urge them to ensure that the vital humanitarian response, including food supplies and commercial imports, is not disrupted. Ministers and officials will continue to engage closely with the UN and other donors, including the new US administration, to ensure life-saving humanitarian aid reaches the millions of Yemenis in need.
We are calling on all parties in Yemen to facilitate the movement of humanitarian supplies and experts into and across the country to ensure an effective COVID-19 response. We are clear that agreeing a peace settlement will give Yemen the best chance of managing COVID-19.