Asked by: Paul Masterton (Conservative - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has had made to the Palestinian Authority on (a) its decision to prevent Palestinian LGBTQ group Al Qaws from holding events in the West Bank and (b) the effect of that decision on the LGBTQ community in the West Bank.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government shares your concern about the Palestinian Police statement banning LGBT activities, which has now been removed. Officials from our British Consulate-General in Jerusalem raised our concerns with the Palestinian Authorities and directly engaged with Al Qaws and international partners on this matter. We will continue to encourage all governments to respect the rights of LGBT people, especially those that criminalise homosexuality and those that fail to defend the rights of LGBT people against social prejudice and violence.
Asked by: Paul Masterton (Conservative - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has had made to the Palestinian Authority on (a) its decision to prevent Palestinian LGBTQ group Al Qaws from holding events in the West Bank and (b) the effect of that decision on the LGBTQ community in the West Bank.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Paul Masterton (Conservative - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on the prospects for a negotiated two-state solution of the recent increase in shooting attacks by alleged Palestinian terrorists in Israel and the West Bank.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are gravely concerned by the ongoing and increasing violence in the West Bank. We condemn the recent terrorist attacks in the Old City of Jerusalem and in the West Bank. Continued incitement against Israel by Hamas and other actors is unacceptable. The Government is committed to making progress towards a two-state solution, and we will continue to press the parties to refrain from actions that make peace more difficult.
Asked by: Paul Masterton (Conservative - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) US administration, (b) Japanese Government and (c) South Korean Government on the planned talks between the US and North Korea.
Answered by Mark Field
The Foreign Secretary regularly speaks to his counterparts from the United States, Japan and Republic of Korea to encourage a diplomatic solution to the threat posed by North Korea. The UK welcomes that President Trump has agreed to hold direct talks with Kim Jong Un. We also welcome the positive developments from the inter-Korean Summit held on 27 April.
The Foreign Secretary most recently met with US Secretary of State Pompeo at the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels on 27 April. The Foreign Secretary met with Japanese Foreign Minister Kono and the then acting US Secretary of State Sullivan at the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Toronto on 24 April. The G7 meeting focused on tackling global security issues, such as the threat posed by North Korea. Ministers agreed the importance of the upcoming inter-Korean and US-North Korea Summits as an important step to achieve the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
The Foreign Secretary last met ROK Foreign Minister Kang at the 19 March EU Foreign Affairs Council where they agreed the importance of maintaining the maximum pressure campaign to support talks.
Asked by: Paul Masterton (Conservative - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the criteria are for the Government deciding to review the sanctions which the UK imposes on North Korea.
Answered by Mark Field
The UN Security Council (UNSC) has imposed ten resolutions on North Korea in response to its illegal pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes since 2006 (most recently UNSCR 2397 on 23 December 2017). The EU has introduced its own additional autonomous measures. The sanctions contained within these measures, together with a strategy of maximum pressure, are designed to bring North Korea to the negotiating table with the aim of achieving the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea. Until North Korea takes concrete steps to bring this about we will continue working with our international partners to keep up pressure and strictly enforce existing sanctions. Any sanctions the UK imposes on North Korea result from UNSC and EU decisions and we would review them within the UNSC and EU frameworks.
Asked by: Paul Masterton (Conservative - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2018 to Question 124805, what organisations the Government maintains relations with which include factions actively involved in terrorist activity.
Answered by Alistair Burt
It is the long-standing policy of the Government not to comment on matters relating to national security.
Asked by: Paul Masterton (Conservative - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the governments of Ukraine and Russia on the implications for security in that region of the Ukrainian Parliament’s declaration of 18 January 2018 that Russia is an aggressor state.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Russia's territorial aggression in the Donbas and Crimea, and its broader efforts to undermine and destabilise Ukraine, represent a fundamental challenge to the rules-based international order and a threat to regional security. We make this clear in discussions with both Ukrainian and Russian interlocutors. It is for the Ukrainian government to determine how it organises its response to this aggression.
Asked by: Paul Masterton (Conservative - East Renfrewshire)
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 Turkish military action against the YPG in northern Syria.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate interest in the security of its borders. We are closely following developments in Afrin in north-western Syria. Both the Foreign Secretary and Minister Burt have been in contact with Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu over the past days to urge them to avoid any escalation in violence and to seek to protect civilians. It remains in our shared interest to focus on achieving a political settlement that ends the war and suffering, and provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region.
Asked by: Paul Masterton (Conservative - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of Uganda on that government’s possible reintroduction of the death penalty; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The death penalty was never abolished in Uganda and it remains on the statute books for 28 crimes. However, no civilian executions have been carried out since 1999 and none under court martial since 2002. The British Government continues to urge the Government of Uganda not to implement death sentences and to move towards a formal moratorium. We have taken note of President Museveni's comments and will monitor developments in country.
Asked by: Paul Masterton (Conservative - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on Hezbollah’s weapons arsenal.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are aware of reports that Hizballah continues to amass an arsenal of weapons in Lebanon. The UK remains concerned about the threat that this poses to regional stability and the direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701.