Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Italian counterpart on (a) the seizure of international NGO vessels and (b) its potential violations of international maritime law.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The United Kingdom and Italy participate frequently in discussions on Mediterranean migration, most recently at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 15 July, the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 18 July, and at an informal Ministerial meeting hosted by France on 22 July. These discussions include the role of NGO-operated Search and Rescue vessels and relevant international maritime law. There are divergent views amongst EU member States. The United Kingdom supports a predictable mechanism for the disembarkation and relocation of rescued migrants, and for all signatories to meet their obligations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Emirati counterpart on the prison conditions of the Emirati prisoner of conscience Ahmed Mansoor.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The case of Ahmed Mansoor was previously raised by our officials with senior Emirati officials in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The UK urges all countries to comply with their human rights obligations. Our close relationship with the UAE allows us to discuss important issues such as human rights and where the UK has cause for concern, we raise these concerns at official and Ministerial level.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterparts on (a) the accuracy of its reporting of civilian casualties due to US drone strikes and (b) the lasting effect of US drone strikes on civilian populations in Somalia.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Secretary of State will build on the work of his predecessor and continue to have regular engagement with his US counterpart on counter-terrorism activities. We have not sought to make an independent assessment of the accuracy or impact of US strikes in Somalia; this would be challenging, given the difficult security environment. The main cause of civilian casualties in Somalia is the insurgency and indiscriminate terrorist activity of Al-Shabaab. Support from the US and others to the Federal Government of Somalia's efforts to counter terrorism is critical to limiting Al-Shabaab's capability to inflict harm.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) his Hungarian counterpart and (b) other EU counterparts on (i) the closure of the Central European University and (ii) restrictions on academic freedom in Hungary.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The British Embassy in Budapest have discussed this with the Hungarian government on various occasions, stressing that Central European University's (CEU) relocation to Vienna is a great loss for Budapest and Hungary. We regret that the Hungarian government and CEU could not find a mutually acceptable solution as a vibrant and diverse education sector brings substantial benefits to any country.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is providing to the Somali Government to counter the proliferation of weapons within Somalia and prevent access to weapons by terrorists.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK plays a leading role in upholding and strengthening the UN Somalia sanctions regime in our capacity as drafters for all UN Security Council Resolutions on Somalia. The sanctions regime is central to international efforts to promote peace and security in Somalia, including through addressing the threat of Al-Shabaab. The regime includes an arms embargo with certain exemptions for humanitarian protection, the African Union Mission in Somalia, and the development of the Somali security forces. Within these exemptions, safeguards are in place to manage proliferation of arms. Our Embassy in Mogadishu regularly engages with the Somali authorities on the importance of compliance with the regime and to support the development of effective weapons and ammunition management. More broadly, the UK has an extensive programme of support to security sector reform in Somalia, helping Somalia take responsibility for its own national security and reduce conflict and terrorism.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Burmese counterpart on the charges of unlawful association against the journalist Aung Marm Oo.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Press freedom and the rule of law are fundamental to any democratic society, and journalists must be allowed to work freely and without intimidation. The British Ambassador has been clear in making this point, and recently raised this case with Burma's Minister for International Cooperation. The UK will continue to work hard to support media freedom within Myanmar.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the safety of Cellou Dalein Diallo in Guinea.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The outcome of the February 2018 Guinean municipal elections has been heavily disputed, resulting in an increase in political tensions in the country. In this context, we are aware of reports of shooting at the vehicle convoy of the opposition party leader, Cellou Dalein Diallo, in Conakry late last year. Together with EU and other international partners we are monitoring the situation closely. The international community continues to urge dialogue between the political parties and essential preparation for forthcoming legislative elections. Peaceful elections will be essential to reassuring investors and other partners, and not least the people of Guinea.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 5 September 2018, Official Report, column 169, what progress the PM has made in pushing for new EU sanctions regimes against those responsible for cyber-attacks and gross human rights violations.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK has actively supported proposals for three new EU thematic sanctions regimes in order to strengthen our international resilience to hybrid threats. These regimes are in different stages of development in the EU.
The chemical weapons regime was adopted at the Foreign Affairs Council on 15 October, and on 21 January the EU adopted the first listings under that regime in response to the use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria. These actions demonstrate the resolve of the UK and our allies to tackle the proliferation and use of chemical weapons in contravention of global norms.
We welcomed the October European Council conclusions which gave a mandate for work on EU cyber sanctions. We are coordinating with EU partners to support the development of a cyber sanctions regime. We are also very supportive of ongoing policy discussions following the Dutch initiative to establish an EU global human rights sanctions regime. This will strengthen the EU’s ability to tackle human rights violations and abuses, wherever they may occur, and allow the EU to respond quickly and appropriately.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to her oral contribution of 5 September 2018, Official Report, column 169, what progress she has made in working with international partners to empower the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to attribute chemical weapons attacks to other states beyond Syria.
Answered by Alan Duncan
As set out in the statement of 13 December 2018 [HCWS1177] by the Foreign Secretary and his predecessor’s update to the House on 9 July 2018, the UK was at the forefront of significant successful diplomatic efforts last year to secure, fund and implement decisions to enable the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to attribute responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in Syria, and more widely at the request of an affected State Party. In accordance with the terms of the June Decision, on 15 November 2018, the Director General of the OPCW set out the measures that the OPCW will implement to provide technical expertise on attribution to requesting States Parties and set out his proposals to establish independent, impartial, expert arrangements to assist with this. We continue to work with international partners in supporting the OPCW Director General and the OPCW Technical Secretariat to put in place structures and staffing to take forward their mandated attribution work, a significant step forward in international efforts to end use of chemical weapons.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Zimbabwean counterpart to ensure that individuals detained by the military and the police during the recent unrest are given a fair trial in accordance with international law.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
I summoned the Zimbabwean Ambassador on 17 January to express our concern at the ongoing situation there, and to urge the security forces to stop using disproportionate force and to investigate any cases of alleged human rights violations and abuses. On 30 January, I spoke to Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Moyo, repeating our calls for an end to human rights violations and abuses and a full investigation into all allegations, including arbitrary arrests.
We will continue to call on the Government of Zimbabwe to investigate all allegations of human rights violations and abuses and urge them to follow the due process of law.
The British Embassy team continue to attend court cases in Harare and Bulawayo and are in regular contact with the legal teams of a number of individuals who have been arrested.