Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of President Assad’s re-election by the Syrian people, whether they intend to amend their stance on the Presidency of Syria as described in the answer by Baroness Warsi on 1 July (WA 253); and, if not, why not.

The UK remains committed to finding a political settlement to the Syria crisis. President Assad is the greatest obstacle to such a settlement. He refused to engage substantively in the UN Security Council-backed Geneva II peace talks which aimed to establish a transitional government agreed by both sides, and lay the foundations for free and fair elections. Instead, his regime’s brutality continues to fuel the conflict, stoke sectarian tensions, and create conditions conducive to the growth of terrorism. President Assad is not a credible partner for solving this crisis.

The regime’s recent Presidential “elections” do not change this. They were a parody of democracy, taking place against the backdrop of horrendous violence, and disenfranchising the many millions of Syrians who have been forced to flee their homes. The Arab League, the UN, the US, Turkey and the EU all rejected these so-called elections.

We continue to call on the Assad regime to make a clear commitment to ending the violence and engaging in substantive talks with the opposition under the Geneva framework. The UK will continue to support a strong and more inclusive opposition and work to increase pressure on the regime in order to create conditions for a political settlement that can end the conflict and address the terrorist threat.