Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Iranian counterpart concerning the recent detention of Afghan Christian, Teymur Hosseini; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to ensure his release.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to the answer I gave on 29 October to Question 83265, we are concerned by the reported case of Teymur Hosseini, and we continue to monitor the situation for Christians in Iran.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Vietnamese counterpart on the recent imprisonment of Kim Som Rinh, Thach Nga and Thach Xuan Dong; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure their release.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary raised human rights including freedom of religion and belief with Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung on 30 October, building on my own discussions with the Vice Foreign Minister on 13 October. Our new UK-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership reaffirms our shared commitment to continue sincere, frank and constructive dialogue on human rights issues, including through the UN Human Rights Council and Universal Periodic Reviews. The UK will continue to raise specific cases of concern including through the work of the UK envoy on Freedom of Religion and Belief, David Smith MP.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether future UK-funded capacity-building programmes will be structured to (a) advance Palestinian statehood and (b) support the government of Palestine in building institutions capable of delivering public services across Palestine, including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on the Middle East on 18 November, where support for Palestinian institutions was discussed. We will update the House in due course on any further developments.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Consul-General in East Jerusalem plans to present her credentials as Ambassador to the President of the State of Palestine; and whether she has had discussions with the Palestinian Authority on that process.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Consulate General in Jerusalem has had a special role working to promote and protect UK interests in Jerusalem for almost 150 years. The future status of the British Consulate General, and the Consul General, in Jerusalem will be determined in due course.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will ensure equality of esteem and equal treatment in design, evaluation and implementation of UK-funded programmes in Palestine and Israel; and whether school textbooks in Israel and Palestine will be reviewed for racism and discriminatory content.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on the Middle East on 18 November, where support for Palestinian institutions was discussed. We will update the House in due course on any further developments.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the death of Dr Hamza Shaheen in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain deeply concerned about incidents of violence in Syria, including the reports of Dr Shaheen's murder. We continue to advocate for an inclusive political transition, a greater focus in social cohesion, and protection of the rights of all Syrians, regardless of religious or ethnic background. When I met the Foreign Minister and Justice Minister in Damascus in August and during their inward visit in November, I underlined the need for the Syrian Government to ensure that the justice system serves all Syrians.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the expected timetable and procedural pathway for the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to be formally received by His Majesty King Charles III for the presentation of credentials; whether, at the point of presentation of credentials, the United Kingdom will recognise the Ambassador as the representative of the State of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders, as stated in Government policy; and whether the Letters of Credence, the Royal Decree of Agrément, and any associated documentation issued in connection with such recognition will explicitly reference the 1967 borders and the United Kingdom’s position on the applicability of international law, including the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinions on the illegality of the occupation.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK follows the standard diplomatic process of agrément and presentation of credentials, as set out in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We recognise Palestinian statehood over provisional borders, based on 1967 lines with equal land swaps, to be finalised as part of future negotiations.