Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the interim Syrian authorities on (a) preventing human rights violations, (b) protecting all Syrians and (c) ending all forms of sectarian violence.

We are deeply concerned about sectarian tensions and violence in Syria. We have consistently advocated for an inclusive, representative and non-sectarian political transition and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, both publicly and as part of our engagement with the Syrian Government. We have pressed the Syrian Government on the need to improve their response to sectarian violence and hold those responsible to account. The former Foreign Secretary and I have raised these issues during our recent visits to Damascus We will continue to judge the Syrian Government by its actions, not its words.