Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Yazidi Justice Committee State Responsibility and the Genocide of the Yazidis, published on 6 July; and in particular, the conclusion that Syria failed in its obligation to (1) prevent, and (2) punish, genocides against the Yazidis; and what steps they are taking to hold Syria to account.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We note the findings from the Yazidi Justice Committee report. The UK is supporting the Government of Iraq to take the necessary actions to secure justice for the Yazidi people and many other victims of Daesh's crimes. We regularly emphasise the need for dialogue and cooperation between Turkey and Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, to combat terrorism, ensure regional security, and protect civilians including religious and ethnic minorities.
We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and our leadership of the regular Syria resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council to draw international attention to the ongoing human rights violations and abuses in Syria, to raise situations of concern and to deploy all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence, protecting civilians and calling for accountability.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Yazidi Justice Committee State Responsibility and the Genocide of the Yazidis, published on 6 July, what plans they have to use dispute resolution mechanisms such as the International Court of Justice to ensure that (1) Syria, (2) Iraq, and (3) Turkey, adhere to their responsibilities under the Genocide Convention.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We note the findings from the Yazidi Justice Committee report. The UK is supporting the Government of Iraq to take the necessary actions to secure justice for the Yazidi people and many other victims of Daesh's crimes. We regularly emphasise the need for dialogue and cooperation between Turkey and Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, to combat terrorism, ensure regional security, and protect civilians including religious and ethnic minorities.
We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and our leadership of the regular Syria resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council to draw international attention to the ongoing human rights violations and abuses in Syria, to raise situations of concern and to deploy all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence, protecting civilians and calling for accountability.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to investigate who is responsible for reported attacks against refugee and Internally Displaced Persons camps in (1) Northern Syria, and (2) Iraq; and what steps they will take to ensure that the perpetrators do not undertake such attacks in future.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of reports of attacks carried out by Turkey in both Northern Iraq and Syria and continue to follow the situation closely. FCDO Ministers and senior officials regularly reiterate the need for dialogue and cooperation between Iraq and Turkey to combat terrorism, ensure regional security, and protect civilians. We welcome recent discussions between Iraqi and Turkish Defence Ministers regarding Ankara's military operations against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. We welcome the fact that the ceasefire in north west Syria agreed by Turkey and Russia in March 2020 is broadly holding. We are concerned by increased violence in recent months, including frequent airstrikes and daily artillery shelling. It is essential that all parties to the conflict respect the ceasefire and allow humanitarian access. We urge all parties to increase their efforts to adhere to it.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of bombings carried out on 1 February in (1) Iraq, and (2) Northern Syria, which targeted refugee and Internally Displaced People camps, resulting in (a) multiple casualties, and (b) destruction.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of reports of attacks carried out by Turkey in both Northern Iraq and Syria and continue to follow the situation closely. FCDO Ministers and senior officials regularly reiterate the need for dialogue and cooperation between Iraq and Turkey to combat terrorism, ensure regional security, and protect civilians. We welcome recent discussions between Iraqi and Turkish Defence Ministers regarding Ankara's military operations against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. We welcome the fact that the ceasefire in north west Syria agreed by Turkey and Russia in March 2020 is broadly holding. We are concerned by increased violence in recent months, including frequent airstrikes and daily artillery shelling. It is essential that all parties to the conflict respect the ceasefire and allow humanitarian access. We urge all parties to increase their efforts to adhere to it.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent attacks in northern Iraq and Syria by Turkish warplanes.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Ambassador in Ankara has raised the issue of Turkish military actions in northern Iraq with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the reports of civilian casualties. British diplomats have also discussed this with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. We continue to urge dialogue and cooperation between Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, and Turkey to combat terrorism, ensure regional security and protect civilians.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) help ensure that all parties to the conflict in north east Syria uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect (i) civilians and (ii) civilian infrastructure and (b) facilitate consistent and unimpeded humanitarian access to that area.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We have been clear that we expect all parties to respect their obligations to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure under international humanitarian law. The Prime Minister made this clear to President Erdogan on 20 October, and the Foreign Secretary conveyed this message to his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, on 10 October.
The UK has also consistently advocated for sustained humanitarian access in all areas of Syria, including the north east. We are committed to the renewal of Resolution 2249, which allows much needed aid to be delivered cross-border into Syria, and will soon begin discussions with likeminded countries in the UNSC on this subject. We also joined EU partners in a statement urging all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and unhindered, safe and sustainable humanitarian access throughout Syria. We are in close contact with the authorities in Turkey and in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on the situation in north-east Syria including on the need for humanitarian access.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he made to (a) parties to the conflict in north east Syria and (b) countries that have borders with Syria on keeping cross-border points (i) open and (ii) accessible to humanitarian aid (A) workers and (B) supplies.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We joined EU partners in a statement urging all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and unhindered, safe and sustainable humanitarian access throughout Syria including for humanitarian aid workers and supplies. We have also repeatedly called on all parties to uphold their obligations under International Humanitarian Law. We are in close contact with the authorities in Turkey and in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on the situation in north-east Syria including on the need for humanitarian access. We continue to monitor the situation closely.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the welfare of the Kurdish people in Syria, Turkey and Iraq.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Kurdish people in Syria have suffered during the conflict, alongside much of the country's population, including through the brutality of both the Assad regime and terrorist groups like Daesh. As such Syrian Kurds have been amongst the recipients of UK aid in our largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis (£2.4 billion since the start of the crisis). UK funding is distributed on the basis of need, to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, or ethnicity. In the same way, our policy position is that a transition away from the Assad regime to a government that can protect the rights of all Syrians, unite the country and end the conflict is necessary to protect all minority groups: we continue to use all of our diplomatic levers to advocate for this.
All communities in Iraq have also suffered at the hands of Daesh. We are committed to ensuring that the Kurds in Iraq can look forward to a brighter future within a stable, democratic and unified Iraq. One that can provide the security, jobs, healthcare and education that all Iraqis want and deserve, including the Kurds. The Department for International Development has provided £209.5 million in life-saving humanitarian aid to Iraq since June 2014, which has helped to support internally displaced people across Iraq, including those hosted in the Kurdistan region.
We are concerned by ongoing violence and reports of civilian casualties in South Eastern Turkey where a significant proportion of the Kurdish community live, and a worsening humanitarian situation in that region. We urge the Turkish state to treat all of its citizens equally, regardless of ethnicity or faith. We regularly urge the Turkish authorities to respect human rights, including the right to freedom of expression, and to support the rule of law. We will continue to monitor these issues closely.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about the number and condition of casualties following reports of an aerial bombardment on 25 April in Derek in Northern Syria and in Shingal in Iraq.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK. We regret the reported death and injury of several members of the Peshmerga from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey about reports of the aerial bombardment on 25 April in Derek in Northern Syria and Shingal in Iraq, which may have affected Yazidi people located in those areas.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
As a close ally and partner, we regularly discuss the situation in northern Syria and northern Iraq with the Turkish government. Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK. We have encouraged Turkey to work closely with Global Coalition partners, the Iraqi government and Kurdistan Region of Iraq in order to combat terrorist organisations like the PKK and Daesh.