Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting Morocco in the Western Sahara dispute.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, and supports the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General. The UK welcomes the recent efforts of all concerned to engage with the Envoy and to facilitate his recent visit to Western Sahara. We will continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process.
Mentions:
1: Baroness Smith of Newnham (LD - Life peer) We have moved beyond the intricacies of Brexit that soured politics for so long and there is an opportunity - Speech Link
2: Baroness Neville-Jones (Con - Life peer) The social and economic disturbance that western societies, and others, are encountering as the result - Speech Link
3: Lord Bruce of Bennachie (LD - Life peer) , north of the Sahara. - Speech Link
4: Baroness Altmann (Con - Life peer) Hamas filmed and glorified its pogrom and violation of Jewish women, yet western supporters here and - Speech Link
5: Lord Skidelsky (XB - Life peer) Such are the quirks of politics, I suppose.I shall concentrate on one topic, and that is economic sanctions - Speech Link
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
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 support a political solution to the Western Sahara issue based on the Autonomy Plan presented by Morocco; and what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on that Plan.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supported United Nations Security Council Resolution 2703 on 30 October, which renewed the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO's) mandate for 12 months. The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, and supports the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General. The UK welcomes the recent efforts of all concerned to engage with the Envoy and to facilitate his recent visit to Western Sahara. We will continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process.
Oral Evidence May. 14 2024
Inquiry: The UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North AfricaFound: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and Stephen Hickey Oral Evidence
Found: the presidency following the end of President Issoufou’s term in office.5 Niger has been a key western
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent reports he has received on (a) economic and (b) political developments in the Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon receives reports on Western Sahara in his capacity as FCDO Minister of State for North Africa. Officials regularly meet and consult with international partners to discuss the issue of Western Sahara, including those from the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the UN, NGOs, Civil Society Organisations, and the broader international community. This includes meetings up to and including at Ambassadorial level by His Majesty's Ambassadors to Rabat and Algiers, and at Permanent and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN-level in New York.
Mentions:
1: James Duddridge (CON - Rochford and Southend East) the Polisario in southern Algeria, which could destabilise a very fragile peace with the Moroccans in Western - Speech Link
2: James Cleverly (CON - Braintree) Friend, who knows the continent of Africa and its politics incredibly well, is absolutely right to highlight - Speech Link
Written Evidence Dec. 18 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North AfricaFound: MENA0059 - The UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North Africa Oxfam GB Written Evidence
Oral Evidence Jan. 09 2024
Inquiry: Work of the Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeFound: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Oral Evidence
Written Evidence Sep. 14 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s international counter-terrorism policyFound: The IRGC now plays a key role in the politics and economy of Iran.