Zimbabwe
Debate between Earl of Courtown and Lord Trefgarne
The Earl of Courtown (Con)
My Lords, I am glad my noble friend has brought that to the attention of the House. We were particularly disappointed to see that Zimbabwe abstained during the UNGA vote on Ukraine. We call all states to push for a ceasefire and urge de- escalation. It is also important that it is up to the Zimbabweans themselves to make many of these decisions.
Lord Trefgarne (Con)
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that the Minister who originally agreed in your Lordships’ House to the signature by the Patriotic Front, and announced it to your Lordships, was me, and that the senior official in the official Box on that occasion was the then Mr Charles Powell, now, of course, the noble Lord, Lord Powell?
The Earl of Courtown (Con)
I must admit that I was not aware of that. My noble friend is, I think, referring to the Lancaster House Agreement, which was a very important agreement in the formation of Zimbabwe.
Refugees: Deaths in Mediterranean and Aegean Seas
Debate between Earl of Courtown and Lord Trefgarne
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, I am not exactly clear what the noble Baroness is referring to and I do not acknowledge what she is saying. Our response is to help Syrian refugees in host countries in the region by supporting full implementation of the EU/Turkey deal and the maritime operations in the Mediterranean and the Aegean. If there is anything more I can add, I will write to the noble Baroness.
Lord Trefgarne (Con)
My Lords, although we are all very distressed and saddened at the number of people who have lost their lives, can we not be quietly proud of the number who have been rescued by British ships, mostly of the Royal Navy?
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, my noble friend is quite right: the Royal Navy is providing coastguard services as well as intelligence on illegal people traffickers for FRONTEX and has deployed a vessel with helicopter support as well as three Border Force assets. It is also important that NATO and the EU work together.