Contributions
1,541 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Kashmir: Human Rights and PeaceI thank my hon. Friend for her question and her long commitment to these issues. We do encourage all states to ensure that their domestic laws adhere to international standards on…12 Mar 2025HANSARD Kashmir: Human Rights and PeaceI thank my hon. Friend for his important question. We remain committed to the promotion of universal human rights. When we have concerns, we raise them directly with partner…12 Mar 2025HANSARD Israeli-Palestinian Peace: International FundI agree with the hon. Member. It is vital that aid goes to the purposes for which it is intended. To be clear, we imagine this international fund being of a much smaller magnitude…11 Mar 2025HANSARD Israeli-Palestinian Peace: International FundI will give way first to the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon).11 Mar 2025HANSARD Israeli-Palestinian Peace: International FundMy hon. Friend talks about infrastructure, homes and hope, and it is those three elements—in particular hope—that are so missing at the moment. It is important to make a…11 Mar 2025HANSARD Israeli-Palestinian Peace: International FundI have commented on the question of international law, and indeed on arms suspension, both in the main Chamber and this morning in the Foreign Affairs Committee. With just one…11 Mar 2025HANSARD Israeli-Palestinian Peace: International FundIt is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Mansfield (Steve Yemm) for securing this debate, and I am grateful to all hon.…11 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaAs I said in the statement, we have provided £62 million since the fall of Assad, and we will keep such questions under review. There is a pledging conference on Monday where we…10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaIt is true that the interim Administration are asking for sanctions relaxation, but I want to draw the House’s attention to the economic situation in Syria: 99% of the value of…10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaAs I said in response to a previous question, we are in discussions about what a UN role could be in a future Syria. I will not comment too much on what personnel might staff it.10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaAs I said before, we condemn any sectarian attacks and any actions to stoke intercommunal tensions within Syria. Syria has long benefited from its many minorities and its great…10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaThe right hon. Gentleman is knowledgeable on these issues and, as he says, there is a range of different military forces in Syria, under different auspices. When there is a new,…10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaThe terrorist threat that emerges from Syria is very high on the agenda of this Government. We have been talking with our partners in the region, with our American colleagues and…10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaI will not comment unduly on intelligence matters in this Chamber but, as I have said, we will look very carefully at the involvement of third parties in Syria in recent days.10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaI have been in contact with Geir Pedersen, the senior UN envoy in Syria, and there are ongoing discussions about what further support the United Nations might be able to provide…10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaI do not want to sound unduly cheery given the stage of economic crisis in Syria, but in many respects access to Syria for humanitarian aid has got easier since the fall of Assad,…10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaThe right hon. Gentleman is right about the vital importance of safely destroying the chemical weapons programme in Syria; I am glad that some progress has been made in that…10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaI discussed these issues with my Turkish counterpart in Ankara last week. It is a shared position of the British and Turkish Governments that we want a peaceful resolution to the…10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaAs I said in answer to a previous question, we will make a close assessment of the developments in the coastal areas. At the moment the violence appears to be isolated to that…10 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaMy hon. Friend is right that actions, not words, must be the yardstick by which we judge the interim authorities, including the interim President. Following the violence, they…10 Mar 2025