Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help promote lasting peace in Syria.

The UK uses its UN Security Council role to advance the UN-facilitated political process in line with UNSCR 2254. We support the work of UN Special Envoy to this effect, and are working with him to develop his 'step for step' approach to making progress. The Assad regime and its backers remain intransigent; we urge them to engage in good faith.

Lasting peace requires accountability. We pursue this through sanctions; raising awareness of crimes committed in Syria; and support for evidence-gathering, including through the UN Commission of Inquiry; the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria; and UK programme partners.