Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 security situation along the Libyan border.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK Government is very concerned by increasing violence across Libya and the threat posed to Libya’s democratic transition. The UK, along with France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the US, the EU, and the UN, issued a statement on 3 December expressing grave concern over the deteriorating situation in Libya, and condemned recent violence, including air strikes, which undermines the prospects for a negotiated settlement. The UK urges all actors to refrain from the use of violence to achieve political aims. In light of the deteriorating security situation the UK Government changed its travel advice on 26 July 2014 to advise against all travel to Libya and urged British Nationals in Libya to leave. This advice remains unchanged.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the UK is providing to the Libyan government to improve border security in that country.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK has provided assistance and support to the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) in order to help the Libyan authorities monitor their own borders. Due to the deterioration of the political and security situation in Libya, the Mission has relocated to Tunis and reduced to a core team, subject to the completion of a comprehensive European External Action Service (EEAS) Strategic Review due in February 2015.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on corruption in EULEX Kosovo.
Answered by David Lidington
The Government has been following reports of alleged corruption in EULEX Kosovo closely. In addition to reporting in the media, the matter has been discussed among Member States in EU working groups and the UK has made it clear to the EEAS that a thorough response is needed. The Government therefore welcomes the independent investigation into the issue recently announced by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and looks forward to its findings in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 restrictive measures against the regime in Zimbabwe imposed by the EU.
Answered by James Duddridge
The EU Restrictive Measures have been an important tool in the EU’s efforts to promoting democracy and reform in Zimbabwe. The EU will be reviewing all Restrictive Measures on Zimbabwe in February 2015. Their future will be a decision for all member states
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 security situation in the Central African Republic.
Answered by Mark Simmonds
The security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) continues to be severely unstable. Sectarian violence continues, and there is widespread displacement of civilians. The UK is playing a strong role as part of the international community's response. We provided early support to the deployment of the African Union mission (MISCA), as well as to the EU security mission (EUFOR), and co-sponsored the UN Security Council Resolution that authorised a UN Peacekeeping Operation (PKO), which will deploy in September. Through DFID, the UK has also provided £23m in humanitarian aid to a range of NGOs and UN agencies, providing access to protection, food, water and sanitation, shelter and healthcare.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 progress made by Albania towards EU accession candidate status.
Answered by David Lidington
The General Affairs Council agreed on 24 June to grant Albania EU candidate status, but with tough conditions for the next stage of the process. We recognise the progress Albania has made, including in tackling organised crime and corruption, but believe significant additional reforms are required before further steps can be taken towards EU accession. Particular areas of concern include reform of public administration; independence, efficiency and accountability of judicial institutions; the fight against corruption; the fight against organised crime; action to tackle illegal migration; protection of human rights, anti-discrimination policies and property rights.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 efficacy of EU restrictive measures against Côte d'Ivoire.
Answered by Mark Simmonds
Sanctions have helped improve the situation in Cote d'Ivoire by limiting destabilising factors through restrictions on the sale, supply and transfer of arms and by targeting those who constitute a threat to peace and national reconciliation with asset freeze and travel ban measures. The sanctions remain under regular review and were revised by the UN in April 2014 following a UN Group of Experts report. The UK government continues to closely monitor the situation and work with partners to support reform and encourage progress by the government of Côte d'Ivoire, particularly ahead of elections planned for October 2015.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is providing to the government of Niger to assist it to tackle terrorism and organised crime.
Answered by Mark Simmonds
The UK has seconded a UK national to the EU training mission which is working to build the capacity of the Nigerien security forces. In February 2014, the UK participated in the regional security training exercise Operation Flintlock, hosted by Niger, which fosters regional co-operation to support counter terrorism and stabilisation activities in North and West Africa.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) chaired a Ministerial meeting in London on security in Nigeria on 12 June 2014. The Nigerien Foreign Minister participated in this event, which made important commitments to enhance regional security cooperation.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 efficacy of EUCAP Nestor in tackling insecurity in the Horn of Africa.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
EUCAP Nestor can play an important role in building stability in Somalia and the region but further work needs to be done to enhance delivery and realise its potential.
The UK has focused on addressing issues to ensure that Nestor increases operations inside Somalia, and delivers against measurable and meaningful objectives.
These measures should increase the prospects of Nestor performing more effectively in the future. Good progress has been made in recent months towards establishing a presence in Somalia, which will increase the efficacy of the mission by providing a base for capacity building activities and by enhancing access to local actors. Nestor now has an office in Hargeisa (Somaliland), and also operates in Bosaso on the northern coast of Somalia. We will continue to track progress closely.