Yemen

Diana Johnson Excerpts
Monday 11th June 2018

(6 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Alistair Burt Portrait Alistair Burt
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Iran is aware of the international concern about the role it is playing and about some of the areas where it is alleged to be playing a role. That pressure is being applied, and Iran has an opportunity here to demonstrate that it wishes to play a less disruptive role in the region.

Diana Johnson Portrait Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)
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Following on from the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn (Graham P. Jones), if the port were taken out of action by an attack, would that be a breach of international humanitarian law?

Alistair Burt Portrait Alistair Burt
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It depends entirely on the circumstances. If deliberate starvation is caused as an act of policy, that is a breach of international humanitarian law. Should the Houthis decide to destroy the port, which they are being driven away from, purely to cause such action, that would probably be such a breach.