Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom is still a guarantor power of Cyprus; what assessment they have made of whether Turkish-Cypriot property in Vasiliko is being confiscated to facilitate oil and gas exploitation in the south of Cyprus; and whether they have made any representations to the government of that country regarding the matter.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK continues to be one of the three Guarantor powers set out in the Treaty of Guarantee (1960). We are aware of media reports suggesting that confiscations are planned in the Vasiliko area. We have made no assessment of the potential impact of the proposed developments there on Turkish Cypriot-owned property, nor have we discussed this particular issue with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. The UK strongly supports the UN-facilitated process for a comprehensive settlement, which remains the best way to address the complex issues related to the division of Cyprus.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Sudan about religious freedom in that country and reports of police persecution of the Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We raise our concerns about freedom of religion with the Government of Sudan as part of our regular engagement on human rights issues. Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum most recently raised this issue with the External Affairs Secretariat of the National Congress Party (the ruling party in Sudan) and the government’s National Human Rights Commission. We have highlighted our concerns about the case involving Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church and are seeking a meeting with the Government of Sudan.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which of the 28 member states of the European Union are required to hold a referendum before they approve either a new treaty or an amendment to an existing treaty.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The EU has adopted new treaties, and amended existing ones, since the original Treaty of Rome in 1957. These changes have reflected the evolution of EU business. Developments in the Eurozone are likely to create the conditions for further treaty change in the future.
A number of different factors determine whether an EU Member State is required to hold a national referendum before approving a new EU treaty or an amendment to an existing EU Treaty. These factors include Constitutional obligations, legal or political precedent and the nature of the treaty or treaty change. In the UK, the European Union Act 2011 sets out the circumstances in which treaties amending or replacing the EU Treaties require prior approval by referendum.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of freedom of religion in Vietnam; and whether the British Ambassador to Vietnam has raised the matter with the government of that country in the past 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Vietnam and are active in promoting freedom of religion or belief there. Our Embassy works closely with embassies of likeminded countries to ensure this issue is raised regularly with the Vietnamese authorities. Our Ambassador has directly raised with the Vietnamese authorities our concerns about Vietnam’s handling of the visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.
Currently, there is a mixed picture on freedom of religion or belief in Vietnam. There are incidents of religious persecution, but most Vietnamese are able to practise the religion of their choice. Vietnam has increased the number of approved churches and other places of worship and invited the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief to visit in July. However, the Special Rapporteur’s press statement at the end of his visit noted that planned visits to certain provinces had been disrupted as a result of official surveillance and intimidation of activists whom he was due to meet, as well as surveillance of his own activities, with the result that he was unable to investigate certain issues of concern e.g. reports that some ethnic minorities face problems practising their religion.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the decision by the government of Israel to build a further 1,000 homes in East Jerusalem; and whether they intend to raise the matter at the European Union Council of Ministers.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), issued a statement on 29 October condemning the announcement of plans for 1060 new housing units in East Jerusalem. He made clear that this was an ill-judged and ill-timed decision, which makes it harder to achieve a two state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital. We will continue to work closely with European partners to discourage settlement expansion, and discussions are currently underway in Brussels to that end.Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the decision by the government of Israel to close access to Al-Aqsa mosque; and whether they intend to raise the matter at the European Union Council of Ministers.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The temporary closure of the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif compound on 30 October has added to the growing tensions in East Jerusalem. There is a serious risk of escalation and further violence. Along with international partners, including other EU Member States, we will continue to press all sides to de-escalate and protect the status quo, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely in the run up to the Foreign Affairs Council later this month.