Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Wednesday 23rd January 2019 Ministerial Corrections

Syria

The following is an extract from Foreign and Commonwealth Office questions on 22 January 2019.

[Brendan O'Hara (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)]

19. A stable Lebanon is vital to securing a resolution to the conflict in Syria. I have just returned from Lebanon with Aid to the Church in Need, and we saw there that Lebanon is a country barely able to cope with the pressure it is under, having been without a Government for the past eight months. What has been done to ensure, while a Government are being found, that Lebanon remains stable and secure?

[Alistair Burt]

I met the Prime Minister of Lebanon, as did my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, on his visit to the United Kingdom. We work very closely with all parties in Lebanon to encourage the process of Government formation. We are acutely conscious of the pressure of 1.3 million refugees in Lebanon. We would encourage the return of refugees from Lebanon to Syria, but only when it is safe to do so. Support for Lebanon and its economy is a fundamental part of the United Kingdom’s engagement in the region.

[Official Report, 22 January 2019, Vol. 653, c. 118.]

Letter of correction from the Minister for the Middle East:

An error has been identified in the response I gave to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Brendan O'Hara).

The correct response should have been:

[Alistair Burt]

I met the Prime Minister of Lebanon, and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to him on the telephone, on his visit to the United Kingdom. We work very closely with all parties in Lebanon to encourage the process of Government formation. We are acutely conscious of the pressure of 1.3 million refugees in Lebanon. We would encourage the return of refugees from Lebanon to Syria, but only when it is safe to do so. Support for Lebanon and its economy is a fundamental part of the United Kingdom’s engagement in the region.