Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the Alawites in Syria.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has consistently advocated for an inclusive political transition and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, both publicly and as part of our engagement with international partners and the interim Syrian authorities. Over the past week, the Foreign Secretary has discussed developments in Syria with French Foreign Minister Barrot (9 March) and Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan (10 March), and the UK Special Representative for Syria has spoken directly to affected Alawite communities.