Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What political and diplomatic steps he is taking to help resolve the conflict in Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We need a negotiated political settlement to end the Syrian conflict. The UK is pragmatic about the nature of that settlement. We continue to work closely with the UN, international partners and Syrian opposition in support of the UN-led Geneva process to achieve it.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his counterpart in Myanmar about creating safe passage routes to allow Rohingya refugees to return to northern Rakhine State.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK has been clear that all Rohingya refugees now in Bangladesh must be able to return to their homes in Burma voluntarily, safely and with dignity.
The Foreign Secretary has spoken to Aung San Suu Kyi three times since this crisis began, most recently on 21 October, when he urged her to implement her commitment to ensure the return of refugees.
I met with Burma's Minister of Defence; its Deputy Foreign Minister; and Aung San Suu Kyi's Chief of Staff on 20 and 21 November, and in each meeting pressed on the need for Rohingya to return to their homes in Rakhine in safety
The UK proposed and secured unanimous support for a UN Security Council presidential Statement on 6 November which urged the Government of Burma to ensure the voluntary return of all refugees in conditions of safety and dignity to their homes, and equal access to full citizenship for all individuals
At the 12 December UN Security Council session, the UK conveyed the seriousness of the crisis and made clear that the situation continues to merit close UNSC attention. The Burmese authorities must heed calls of the Security Council to make Rakhine safe for refugee returns and ensure accountability for human rights violations
The UK also supported Bangladesh in its proposal for a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council, attended by Lord Ahmad on 5 December. In his intervention Lord Ahmad as clear that "international pressure will not relent until the state authorities act to enable refugees to return to Rakhine voluntarily, with dignity and, importantly, in safety".
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)
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 equity of the repatriation deal signed by the Governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar on 23 November 2017.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK has been clear that it is essential that the Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh must be able to return to Burma safely, voluntarily and with dignity. Moreover, the Burmese authorities must ensure equal access to full citizenship for all individuals. The UK proposed and secured a UN Security Council Presidential Statement on 6 November which made clear that this was also the call of the international community.
The agreement signed on 23 November between the Governments of Burma and Bangladesh includes this commitment in respect of Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh since October 2016. It also includes a commitment from the Government of Burma to allow refugees to return to their original places of residence or a safe and secure place of their choice. These commitments are a positive step but we need to see them implemented in practice. We also call for Burma to extend the same commitment to Rohingya who fled from Burma before October 2016.
The UK believes appropriate international oversight of the agreement and its implementation is very important. Bangladesh has committed to involving the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the implementation of the agreement. The UK calls on Burma to also commit to this.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2017 to Question 64298, what recent progress he has made in discussions with his counterparts in the Government of Cameroon on the arrest, detention and violent treatment of activists in that country.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK Government continues to closely monitor the human rights situation in Cameroon. Our High Commissioner has raised our concerns directly with the President Biya on a number of recent occasions. We call on Cameroon to uphold its human rights obligations and to take a lead in resolving the current tensions through a broad-based dialogue.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in the Government of Cameroon on the closure of schools in the English-speaking areas in the south of that country.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Government via our High Commission in Yaoundé is closely following the situation in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon, following on from the demonstrations and strikes by lawyers and teachers, which began in November last year. We are engaged with the Government of Cameroon and will continue to raise the closure of schools with them. Our High Commissioner has spoken to President Biya urging him to find a resolution to these issues in order to return to normality as soon as possible.