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 - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
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 - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
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.
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 counterparts in (a) South Africa, (b) Botswana, (c) Namibia and and (d) Malawi on the situation in Zimbabwe.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
I travelled to South Africa on 30 January and raised Zimbabwe with key regional interlocutors, emphasising the need for urgent action by the international community.
I also attended the EU-AU Ministerial meeting in Brussels on 21 January and discussed a range of issues, including Zimbabwe at the meeting.
I will continue to raise the political and security situation in Zimbabwe with key counterparts, including those from Commonwealth states, as I did with the Foreign Minister of Mozambique on 3 February.