Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Bangladesh and Myanmar counterparts as a result of the deal by those Governments to repatriate Rohingya refugees.
Answered by Mark Field
The Government has been clear throughout the current crisis that the Rohingya refugees who have fled into Bangladesh must be able to return to their homes in Burma safely, voluntarily and in dignity. The UK proposed and secured a UN Security Council Presidential Statement on 6 November which called for these conditions to be met and urged the Governments of Burma and Bangladesh to invite the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to participate fully in the implementation of any returns process.
Since Burma and Bangladesh signed an agreement to repatriate refugees on 23 November, the UK has made representations to both governments to implement the agreement in line with the UN Security Council Statement. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific raised the issue with Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs on 30 November 2017 and with its High Commissioner on 9 January,
The British Ambassador to Burma most recently pressed for UNHCR involvement in the repatriation process in his meeting with the Minister for the Office of the State Counsellor on 11 January.
We share the UN High Commissioner for Refugee's concerns regarding the risk of premature or precipitous returns, and assessment that conditions in Rakhine are not presently in place to enable safe and sustainable returns.
The UK will continue to work with our international partners to ensure any returns take place in line with international norms and under international monitoring.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on support for a possible UN-mandated global arms embargo on Burma.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK continues to support the EU's retention of its arms embargo, which prohibits the supply of equipment or the provision of any training that might strengthen the Burmese military's combat capability. In the preparation for the UN Security Council Presidential Statement on Burma that the UK proposed and secured on 6 November, we assessed there was insufficient support amongst UN Security Council members for a resolution mandating a global arms embargo on Burma. This remains our assessment; but we will keep it under review.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to discuss with his EU counterparts an expansion of the current EU arms embargo to ban all EU companies from supplying any kind of equipment to the military in Burma.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK is party to the EU's arms embargo on Burma and a strong supporter of its continuation. The Foreign Secretary secured agreement at the 16 October EU Foreign Affairs Council that the EU would consider additional measures if the situation in Rakhine did not improve.
The UK will discuss with EU partners whether further sanctions are required following the UN Secretary-General's 12 December report to the UN Security Council on progress since the 6 November UN Security Council Presidential Statement.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Saudi-led coalition on re-opening Sana'a International Airport in Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We recognise Saudi Arabia's legitimate need to protect its national security following the attempted 4 November missile attack on Riyadh. At the same time, as our statement of 15 November made clear, it is vital that Yemen remains open to humanitarian and commercial access. We call for the immediate resumption of UN flights and the reopening of Hodeidah port. We have engaged with the Saudi Arabian Government at the highest levels on this issue since the 4 November incident and will continue to do so. We are also closely engaged with the UAE and other regional and international partners.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Government of Saudi Arabia on unrestricted humanitarian access to Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We regularly raise the importance of ensuring unrestricted humanitarian access with the Government of Saudi Arabia. The Foreign Secretary discussed this issue most recently with Saudi Foreign Minister Al Jubeir on 5 September. We call upon all parties to the conflict to improve humanitarian access to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people. The UK sponsored a UN Security Council Presidential Statement with words to that effect which was agreed on 15 June.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Yemen.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The security situation in Yemen remains a concern. The conflict continues to have a grave impact on the civilian population and makes humanitarian access and delivery of aid in to and within Yemen extremely difficult.
A political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability. The UK is playing a leading role in diplomatic efforts, supporting the UN Special Envoy’s tireless efforts to achieve this. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), met his Quint counterparts from Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, US and UN in Bonn on 16 February.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will review the UK's support for the Saudi-led coalition forces operating in Yemen.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK supports the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition military intervention, which came at the request of legitimate President Hadi, to deter aggression by the Houthis, and allow for the return of the legitimate Yemeni Government.
As set out in UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions 2216, the UNSC continues to support President Hadi as the legitimate authority in Yemen.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to encourage a de-escalation of violence in Kashmir in response to the recent unrest in that region.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
I remain very concerned by reports of violence and offer my condolences to the victims and their families. The UK abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have updated our travel advice.