Asked by: Leo Docherty (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to seek to ensure the Saudi Arabian Government and the Turkish Government conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to press Turkey and Saudi Arabia to carry out thorough investigations until responsibilities are clearly established and there is proper accountability and due process for any crimes committed. The Foreign Secretary spoke to the Saudi Foreign Minister on 20 October and I, and, our Ambassador to Riyadh, have subsequently reiterated this to the Foreign Minister.
On 24 October, the Prime Minister spoke to King Salman to reiterate the UK’s grave concerns about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and strongly urged Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the Turkish investigation and to be transparent about the results.
Asked by: Leo Docherty (Conservative - Aldershot)
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 likelihood of a peace deal between the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
On 7 June, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a unilateral, temporary Eid ceasefire. We welcome and support this initiative to try and reduce violence. We hope that the Taleban will join the ceasefire.
This follows President Ghani's offer to the Taleban of peace talks without preconditions. He made this bold offer in February at the meeting of the Kabul Process for Peace and Security Cooperation. He invited the Taleban to contribute to creating a political process to resolve the conflict. Regional states and the international community endorsed this offer.
We believe it is now for the Taleban to respond. They have talked publicly about desiring peace for Afghanistan. If they wish to play a political role in the country's future, and if they share the goals of stability and security for its population, they must enter a political process.
The British Government believes that a political solution is the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. This long term effort will require careful diplomacy, difficult decisions and compromises on all sides. We should not expect a quick breakthrough. We will continue to support the Afghan people as they seek the peace they so deserve.
Asked by: Leo Docherty (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the supply of ballistic missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The supply of ballistic missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen is in direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 2216. This threatens regional security and prolongs the devastating conflict. The British Government is providing £1.3 million in funding for the UN Inspection and Verification Mechanism (UNVIM) to counter weapons flows into Yemen. We also aim to increase UNVIM capacity through the deployment of additional inspectors to UNVIM's Djibouti Headquarters and to ports around the region. This could increase UNVIM's inspection capacity fivefold.
Asked by: Leo Docherty (Conservative - Aldershot)
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 effectiveness of the Iran nuclear deal JCPOA; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is committed to full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) by all parties. We assess that the deal is working and is the only diplomatic way to neutralise the nuclear threat from Iran. Under the deal Iran has given up two-thirds of its centrifuges and 95% of its uranium stockpile. The deal also provides for unprecedented access and monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA continues to report Iran's compliance with its nuclear commitments under the deal.
Asked by: Leo Docherty (Conservative - Aldershot)
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 effectiveness of the British diplomatic and military support for the Government of Libya.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office published its response to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee investigation on "Libya: Examination of Intervention and Collapse and the UK's Future Policy Options" on 11 November 2016. Helping to bring stability to Libya is a vital part of UK efforts to tackle the threat from terrorism and the challenge of irregular migration. That is why the UK is at the forefront of efforts to support the UN Special Representative, Ghassan Salamé in reaching out to all sides in Libya to revitalise the political process and work to amend the Libyan Political Agreement so that it delivers for all Libyans. A secure and stable Libya, better able to deal with the threat from terrorism and the challenge of migration, is firmly in the UK interest.