Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
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 Spanish counterparts on recent incursions by Spanish vessels into British Territorial Waters around Gibraltar.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) has made clear publicly that the UK will continue to protect and promote Gibraltar’s interests. This includes challenging and protesting against all incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. The Foreign Secretary has also reaffirmed our sovereignty assurances to Gibraltar never to enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another State against their wishes, nor to enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will work with (a) Oman and (b) other Middle Eastern countries to broker a deal to end the current conflict in Yemen.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), met his Saudi, Emirates and US counterparts on 19 July in London to review the situation in Yemen. A political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability and end the conflict. We welcome and fully support the UN led talks in Kuwait: now is the time to reach an agreement. We will continue to work closely with the UN and partners in the Middle East, including Oman, to encourage both sides to engage constructively.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments on avoiding further fighting and conflict along the border between those countries.
Answered by James Duddridge
We are concerned over recent reports of fighting between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces along the border near Tsorena. We have called on both countries to exercise restraint and to adhere to the terms of the Algiers Agreement. We have also made it clear to Ethiopia and Eritrea that they should engage in meaningful political discourse to seek a resolution to the ongoing border issues.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Brazilian government on ensuring adequate security for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Answered by Lord Swire
I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 29 May given in response to PQ 38251.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage Sudan and South Sudan to engage in dialogue to overcome disputes relating to the border between the two countries.
Answered by James Duddridge
I am concerned at the recent increase in tensions between Sudan and South Sudan. As part of our ongoing discussions with the governments of both countries, we have consistently stressed that dialogue is the only means of resolving the border-related disputes. We have also raised our concerns about recent tensions in the UN Security Council and continue to support the efforts of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel to encourage both sides to re-engage in negotiations.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the influence of ISIS in Yemen; and what steps his Department is taking with regional allies to curb that influence.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We remain concerned by the terrorist threat in Yemen, including the presence of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Daesh-Yemen. Long term instability increases the risk that terrorist groups continue to exploit the deteriorating situation to consolidate their support base and capabilities.
Throughout 2015, we saw an expansion of Daesh-Yemen, albeit starting from a small base. We judge that they remain a threat to UK strategic interests in the region, rather than a direct threat to the UK. We continue to work with regional partners to tackle the terrorist threat from Yemen. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UN and African Union missions in South Sudan; and what discussions he has had with the UN since the publication of its report, Assessment Mission by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to improve human rights, accountability, reconciliation and capacity in South Sudan: detailed findings, published March 2016.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK is deeply concerned by the findings of the African Union Commission of Inquiry (AU-COI) report and the recent UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) assessment. Both reports detail appalling levels of human rights violations and abuses, including widespread levels of sexual violence, and that these may constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity.
We are pressing for action on multiple levels. We are raising our serious concerns directly with the government in Juba, and when I visited South Sudan in January 2016 I pressed both the President and the Foreign Minister on human rights issues. At the same time, we are also encouraging the African Union to establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan and pressing the UN Security Council to agree an arms embargo. At the UN Human Rights Council we are pressing for a UN Special Rapporteur to be agreed and the OHCHR report's findings to be followed up on. We will continue to work to ensure those who are responsible for abuses are held to account.