Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2015, Official Report, column 79, whether he met the Saudi Arabia Deputy Foreign Minister; and with whom he has discussed the case of Raif Badawi.
Answered by Lord Hammond of Runnymede
Due to the late King’s ill health at the time, the Vice Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia did not attend the Counter ISIL meeting in London as had been planned. Instead, I raised the case of Raif Badawi with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to London, as the most senior member of the Saudi delegation, at the inaugural meeting of the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, on 22 January.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last discussed the conflict against ISIL with representatives of the Kurdistan regional government.
Answered by Lord Hammond of Runnymede
My officials in Erbil, Baghdad and London discuss the conflict against ISIL with representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on a regular basis.
I last discussed this issue with KRG representatives during my visit to Erbil on 13 October in meetings with both KRG President Masoud Barzani and KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani.
The Minister for the Middle East, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), discussed this issue with the Head of the KRG’s Department for Foreign Relations, Mr Falah Mustafa, on Thursday 11 December.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has held with the EU's new High Representative for Foreign Affairs on other EU member states' contribution towards the fight against ISIL in Iraq.
Answered by Lord Hammond of Runnymede
I have regular discussions with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs on the EU’s strategy to tackle ISIL, both bilaterally and directly in EU meetings. Conclusions of EU meetings are available on EU websites.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is giving to the Syrian opposition to assist delivery of essential services.
Answered by Lord Hammond of Runnymede
In the current financial year, the UK has allocated £27 million of non-humanitarian aid to support the work of the National Coalition and Interim Government, local councils, non-government organisations, civil society, media and human rights activists in Syria. We are providing a range of support to Syrians to help save lives, bolster civil society, counter extremism, promote human rights and accountability, deliver basic governance and help lay the foundations for a more peaceful and inclusive future for Syria.
As part of this, in the past 12 months the Government has provided £2.3 million in support for local governance in opposition-controlled areas in Syria. This funding has enabled the training of local officials to help them ensure the provision of essential services to ordinary Syrians in their towns and villages, including vital infrastructure repair and rehabilitation projects which meet the needs of local people. We plan for this project to continue for at least one more year. The UK is committed to helping the Syrian people who continue to suffer after more than three years of conflict.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
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 implementation of the Minsk Protocol by all parties to the agreement.
Answered by Lord Hammond of Runnymede
We are concerned by continued breaches of the ceasefire which was agreed in Minsk on 5 September and urge all parties to implement the Minsk Protocol in full so peace and stability can return to eastern Ukraine. Russia’s actions - troop movements, further convoys without the permission of the Ukrainian government, and Russia’s respect for the results of illegitimate separatist elections - are unacceptable. These actions have increased tensions in Ukraine and further call into question the sincerity of Russia’s commitment to de-escalate tensions and fulfill commitments they made in Minsk and elsewhere.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps at an EU-level to increase the size of the sanctions regime against Russia in response to the security situation in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Hammond of Runnymede
As the Prime Minister made clear to President Putin at the G20 meeting in Brisbane, unless Russia follows through on its obligations, and we see real progress towards peace in Ukraine, with full respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, additional sanctions could be imposed. We are working with partners on contingency plans for that eventuality.
Sanctions are an important element in the range of diplomatic measures we are undertaking to effect a change in Russia’s behaviour. EU sanctions against Russia are regularly reviewed. Most recently, on 18 December, the Council of the European Union expanded the scope of sanctions in Crimea and Sevastopol, and on 4 December sectoral sanctions against Russian companies were revised.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
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 EU-wide sanctions on Russia's policy towards Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Hammond of Runnymede
Sanctions are an important element of the range of diplomatic measures we are undertaking to effect a change in Russia’s behaviour. EU sanctions are delivering a significant cost to Russia for its actions in Ukraine. The fall in the global oil price has driven an economic slump in Russia, including a shrinking economy and sharply declining currency. The wide-ranging restrictions of EU and US economic sanctions are exacerbating these negative trends. For Russia to remove the pressure of sanctions it will need to change its policy towards Ukraine.Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
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 Hadi al-Bahra on the humanitarian situation in Kobane.
Answered by Lord Hammond of Runnymede
We had regular discussions with Hadi al-Bahra, while he was President of the Syrian National Coalition, most notably through the UK Special Representative for Syria. The UK Special Representative last met President al-Bahra on 18 December. I held detailed discussions with President al-Bahra on the situation in Syria when they met in London on 10 November 2014. All of these discussions covered the humanitarian situation throughout the whole of Syria as well as UK support to the Syrian opposition and the wider political process.
The Department for International Development have already responded to the urgent needs of Syrian refugees that have fled from Kobane to Turkey, by working with the relevant authorities and our partners to provide mattresses, non-food items and shelter for distribution to the most needy families. We stand ready to respond positively should further aid be needed.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
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 security situation around Mount Sinjar.
Answered by Lord Hammond of Runnymede
I welcome the military operations conducted by Iraqi forces in northern Iraq, to remove Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from the area of Mount Sinjar. Reports suggest that early in these operations Kurdish Peshmerga, supported by Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition airstrikes, were able quickly to remove ISIL from villages and towns north of Mount Sinjar. The situation remains fluid as fighting continues but on 6 January Iraqi forces were reported to have retaken much of Sinjar city.Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
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 Iraqi counterpart on the refugees on Mount Sinjar.
Answered by Lord Hammond of Runnymede
The UK has worked closely with coalition partners and Iraqi authorities, including the Kurdistan Regional Government, to alleviate the humanitarian situation around Mount Sinjar including delivering humanitarian aid by airdrops. In August, hundreds of Yazidi civilians became trapped around Mount Sinjar when fleeing ISIL. We are in close contact with partner agencies, including the UN, on the humanitarian situation in Iraq. We regularly discuss the situation in Iraq with the Iraqi government at both ministerial and official level, most recently when I met Iraqi Foreign Minister HE Dr Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, on 5 January 2015.