Foreign Affairs and International Development

Debate between Tim Farron and Lord Hague of Richmond

Tuesday 15th May 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hague]

I am going to conclude my speech in a few minutes’ time, but I will give way to my hon. Friend the Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron) and then to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas), who speaks for the Green party.

[Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)]

My right hon. Friend is generous. He refers to the conflict between the north and south in Sudan, but this is not an equal match at all. It is the populations of the Nuba mountains who are being targeted by the Sudanese Government. Many of them are innocent people living in villages and there is not the slightest evidence of their participating in military activity. What are the Government doing to make it absolutely certain that the Sudanese Government know that they are condemned by all civilised people for their victimisation of the Nuba people in particular?

[Mr Hague]

We are very clear about that, and we have been very clear with both Governments—in Khartoum and in Juba—about recent events. Frankly, both have been at fault in various ways. Our ambassador in Khartoum has been clear to the Sudanese, and I met a South Sudanese delegation here two weeks ago and was clear about the message. We agreed a common position of the whole United Nations Security Council, spelling out to both countries the consequences of conflict and the actions, including sanctions, that would be taken by the UN if they went further into conflict. That includes the issue that my hon. Friend talked about. I will give way one last time, but then I will conclude my speech.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Tim Farron and Lord Hague of Richmond

Tuesday 29th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)]

Will my right hon. Friend act urgently to ensure that much more humanitarian aid reaches the Syrian refugees currently in Lebanon, and will he also act to bring about an international arms embargo covering all UN states to ensure that Syria is not armed further?

[Mr Hague]

We are certainly assisting: Ministers at the Department for International Development have committed a sum of £20 million to support international organisations helping with the relief of humanitarian suffering in or around Syria. My hon. Friend will understand that humanitarian access in Syria is one of the great problems, because of the appalling behaviour of the regime, which means that we are not able to get that help to all the people who want it. Syria should certainly no longer be purchasing any arms from any EU country.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Tim Farron and Lord Hague of Richmond

Tuesday 6th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hague]

Yes, Her Majesty has been very proud to address the United Nations on the part of so many different realms, but that does not mean that the rest of us have started to agree that breaking up individual realms is a good idea, so we will continue to oppose the hon. Gentleman on that.

[Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)]

How will the Foreign Secretary assist Mr Netanyahu to resist demands from within his own Government for the building of illegal settlements to recommence by September?

[Mr Hague]

We have to continue to try to convince the Israeli Government—my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I have been active in that already—that it is fundamentally in the interests of Israel to do everything that it can to secure a two-state solution, that time for that might be running out, and that such a solution is in the interests of Israel’s long-term security. Winning that argument is very important, and we will continue to try to win it.