Live Foreign and Commonwealth Office Questions House of Commons


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Order, order. Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and

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Commonwealth Affairs. We oppose the use of the death penalty in all

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circumstances and advocate global abolition. The Government supports

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programmes around the world to promote abolition and Eamonn Tory on

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executions in those countries where the death penalty is still on the

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statute book. Can I ask if he will resent a new strategy for the

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abolition of the death penalty following on from the 2010, 2015

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strategy and will it include Saudi Arabia? We oppose the death penalty

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in every country including Saudi Arabia and other states where that

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is still part of the criminal law. The abolition of the death penalty

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remains integral to all human rights work that this department does. I

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welcome the fact that the trend is for reducing the number of

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executions and the number of states carrying out executions. When he

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joined me in expressing concern in areas where that is not the case and

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does he agree that if it is wrong to take a life, it is wrong for the

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state to take a life in revenge? That is certainly my view and it is

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the Government's position to oppose capital punishment. We need to

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bearing in mind that while capital punishment exists, it means it is

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potentially a risk for a British citizen anywhere in the world who

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might be found guilty of a criminal offence. Does he share my horror

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that on the top five countries which execute people come remains the

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United States of America, despite a reduction in the number of

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executions last year? Where did the last speak to his American

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counterpart about their record in executing people? As I am sure she

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knows, in the US, this is largely a matter for state legislature 's and

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state governments rather than the ferret -- Federal Government. We to

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take up, when appropriate, the particular cases with the relevant

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authorities. Belarus is the only country still executing its

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citizens. Does my right honourable friend share my concern that in the

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last three months, two Belarus citizens have been sentenced to

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death? If they want to become a full member of the Council of Europe,

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they should abide by international laws and the European ledgers --

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European legislation is? We, in all our dealings with the Government

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there, we make clear the need for them to move to international and

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European standards on capital punishment, but also to take action

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to improve what is frankly still a dismal human rights record in that

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country. Further to the answer from the honourable member from Slough,

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is he aware of the organisation that drugs companies exported to the

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state of Arkansas for use in lethal injections? They say they don't

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export for this purpose but go on to say any sales usually occur through

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the use of distributors. It seems an obvious loophole. Why is nobody

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closing it? I will look into the particular case at -- that he

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describes and try to him in due course. -- and write to him in due

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course. Humanitarian assistance was sent to besieged communities in

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Syria. The first deliveries of aid have now been made and yesterday

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there was an announcement of agreement between Russia and the

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United States on the detailed arrangements for the sentenced --

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for the hostilities which will come into force on midnight on Saturday.

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If that is implemented by all the parties, this could be an important

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step towards a lasting political settlement in Syria. The bombing of

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two hospitals and other health facilities in northern Syria is

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completely unacceptable and a clear breach of international humanitarian

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law. Does the Minister agree that those responsible must be brought to

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justice and that this reinforces the need for United Nations Security

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Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court?

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The Honourable Lynne de -- Lady raises an incident that has caused

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widespread outrage. It requires a resolution of the United Nations

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Security Council, one veto holding member of whom is the Russian

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Federation. It is unlike -- it is unlikely that we will succeed going

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down that route. Turkish policy towards Syrian Kurdish forces seems

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inconsistent with our own, inconsistent with the prospect of

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supporting Syrian peace talks and inconsistent with the opportunity to

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form a united front against die -ish. This Syrian Kurds are an

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important part of the equation and have to be brought into any enduring

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solution. Turkey has a problem with links with the PKK and other Syrian

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groups. PKK is a terrorist group designated in Turkey and indeed in

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the UK. There are overlaying conflicts here. It is a major

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complicating factor. What we have seen is very disturbing evidence of

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coordination between Syrian Kurdish forces, the Syrian regime and the

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Russian air force which are making us distinctly uneasy about the

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Kurds's role in this. The bombings are driving the refugee

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crisis and destabilising and weakening Europe. Now is not the

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time to even talk about weakening the EU sanctions against the Putin

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regime. I agree with the honourable gentleman that now is not the time

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to send Russia any signals of compromise or pulling back. The only

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language Putin accepts is that of confrontation. We have to stand up

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and be counted, how ever inconvenient that might be for some

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that have to be counted. Whether we like it or not, Russia is a

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prerequisite to the successful talks if they are going to be successful.

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The American Secretary of State has a close working relationship with

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the Russian Foreign Minister, talking to him nearly every week.

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Whether the Foreign Secretary will speak to the Russian Foreign

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Secretary and what is he doing to improve his personal relationship

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with him? Our relationships are difficult. I spoke to Sergei Lavrov

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on the 11th of February in Munich where he and I had some prolonged

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and robust exchanges around the table during that evening. I do

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speak regularly to the US Secretary of State and am aware of the

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discussions he is having with our mutual Russian counterpart. The

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problem is that Russian policy on Syria is not made in the Russian

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Foreign Ministry comment is made inside a tiny cabal around President

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Putin around the heart of the Kremlin. What dialogue has the

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minister had with French counterparts as a result of the

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Syrian crisis regarding the safety and protection arrangements for

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unaccompanied children refugees that are at grave risk and due to be

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disbursed from the jungle camp? I have had discussions with my former

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French counterpart who retired the week before last and indeed my new

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French counterparts. The issues relating to would-be migrants

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accumulated around Calais after the Home Secretary and she has very

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regular discussions with her counterpart. The Russians are a key

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part to establishing a meaningful political settlement in Syria. Would

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he agree that it doesn't mean we give in to the Russians across the

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rest of Europe and that the Nato commitment in the Baltic states is

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just as important a counterbalance whatever partnerships we use the

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Russians for in Syria? We are dealing with a raised level of

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Russian assertiveness in many areas. In the Baltic, in Ukraine and now in

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the Middle East. We have to be robust in all areas. He is right

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that Russia holds the key to the situation in Syria. I have said in

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this house before that there is one person in the world who has the

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power to bring the misery in Syria to an end by picking up the phone

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and making one phone call and that person is Vladimir Putin. The whole

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house will welcome the ceasefire agreement which is so badly needed.

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However, there have been promises from Russia before. They have been

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claiming to be attacking terrorist groups when they have been attacked

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in moderate opposition forces and civilians. Can the Foreign Secretary

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set out how breaches of the ceasefire agreement will actually be

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assessed? She has put her finger on the

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problem. The ceasefire agreement will allow continued operations

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against Daesh and associated terrorist groups submitted by the UN

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Security Council, and nobody would disagree with that. The problem is,

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the Russians claim that the date, all of their action has been against

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those groups. So on the face of it, the Russians could be entering onto

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this arrangement on the basis of not changing their behaviour. This

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cessation of hostilities will fail before it has got off the ground if

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that is their intention. Can the Foreign Secretary explain what

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consideration has been given to a UN resolution to strengthen the

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ceasefire agreement and support the peace talks? Yes, first of all,

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there is an arrangement agreed between the Russians and Americans

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for investigating alleged breaches of the ceasefire, and there is a

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commitment on both sides to working out a coordination cell between US

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and Russian sides to try to identify legitimate targets that can be

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structuring the ceasefire. In terms of UN dimensions to this, we are

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looking at that, we would welcome a UN resolution behind the ceasefire,

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we already have the resolution 2254 which we did on the 18th of December

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in New York, but that can only happen if the Russians are prepared

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to work with us. Number three. Mr Speaker, Daesh is presently being

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defeated in Iraq, as the competence of Iraqi security forces improves,

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specifically writing to Kurdistan, we are providing the peshmerga with

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air power, logistical support and training. I thank him for that

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answer. Report suggest that 45% of Kurdish forces are composed of

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women. A commander recently said, we do this not to protect ourselves but

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to change the way of thinking of the army, not only to gain power but to

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change society and develop it. What steps is the government taking to

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ensure their participation in regional diplomatic talks, post

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Daesh? Can I just paid should be to be quite she has given and the work

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she has done in pioneering the role that women can play. This is

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something of the UN envoy recognises and is trying to include the bosses

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of women. We have British training taking place in northern Iraq and we

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have training teams that will be training female units in the

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peshmerga itself. What is the minister's current assessment of the

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relations between the government of Turkey and the Kurdistan regional

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government? It is important Russian ship that they are developing, not

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just for economic reasons, but as he has just outlined, the there are

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concerns by Turkey because of the role and involvement and influence

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of the PKK, we will be monitoring that carefully. Since the breakdown

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of the peace process in summer last year, they have been reports of an

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escalation of violence and reports of a breach of human rights in

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south-eastern Turkey, in the Kurdish areas. There have been the deaths of

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hundreds of innocent civilians, curfews, imprisonment of democratic

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re-elected politicians who would be key interlocutors in future

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negotiations. Can he assure me that it will form part of the peace

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process talks in Syria? I'm grateful for her question, it is something I

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was able to raise during my visit to the north of Iraq, at the end of

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last year. We are concerned about the reports of human rights abuses

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and it's something we need to make sure is not overlooked. Question

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number four. Mr Speaker... The pleasure is entirely mutual! Let me

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say to the Minister of State, I much appreciate his courtesy in notifying

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me of his travel plans, I know he has only recently got off a plane so

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we're delighted to have him here, especially in view of the fact of

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which he has previously informed the house, that he is responsible for

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three quarters of the world! You have just stolen my first line

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again. On this important subject, I would repeat, for India and

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Pakistan, they need to find a lasting resolution to the situation

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in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is

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not for the UK to prescribe a solution. And tragically, this house

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has a great deal of respect for UN resolutions, and I'm sure that the

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Minister will be aware that in 1948 the UN Security Council passed

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resolution 47, instructing the government of India and Pakistan to

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prepare for a plebiscite to decide the future of Kashmir. Now almost 70

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years have passed, thousands of Kashmiri men, women and children

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have been slaughtered and atrocities are committed on a daily basis and

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there is still no sign of any action to allow these people to vote on

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this most important issue. Does he agree with me that the people of

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Kashmir should have the right of self-determination and will he give

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an assurance that the British government... I hope she is near the

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end of the sentence? Finish the sentence. That the British

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government will do everything in its power to make this happen. We don't

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intend to support an international conference or put the site on

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Kashmir, our long-standing position is this is a matter for India and

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Pakistan to find a resolution. We are acutely aware of the human

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rights allegations in Kashmir, this was discussed when Prime Minister

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Modi was here in 2015, and we continue to monitor the situation

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closely. Many of my constituents, who are of Kashmiri origin and

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heritage, take the view that this entire problem was left behind by

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the UK will be ruled in that area. Does not the Minister feel that

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there is a real obligation on the UK to actually take a more proactive

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role in this, and do something positive to bring about a resolution

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to this long-running problem? We are talking about two sovereign

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countries, India and Pakistan, it is not for the UK to come between them

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other than to urge them to talk and to ask them, good moves and

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communications between the leaders, they are discussing the subject

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among other things and that we very much welcome. I would say that this

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has been going on for decades and decades and the UK does have some

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expertise in building more peaceful settlements. Isn't there a bit more

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that the UK could do to promote confidence building measures between

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India and Pakistan and are very least raise this as a priority with

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the youth special representative so that our allies know it's more of a

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priority? I just said to the Right Honourable gentleman, we do things

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as best we can without getting directly involved and we welcome the

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fact that on the 25th of November they visited each other, the

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leaders, but I would repeat again, he knows full well the long-standing

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position of the government and when he was in government, it was no

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different, this is a matter for the Indians and Pakistanis to resolve.

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Number five. The UK is committed to strengthening engagement with the

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Commonwealth, the Prime Minister, the member for Whitney, led a strong

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delegation to the Commonwealth summit in November where Lord Maud

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and I promoted trade opportunities within the Commonwealth. The

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reticence in British manufacturing and engineering is not only a

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testament to this government's determination to rebalance the

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economy but has also contributed to 62% employment in my constituency.

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Does he agree with me that our historic links, especially trade

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links with other Commonwealth countries, are vital to the

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continued success of these sectors and the jobs they support? I'm

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pleased to hear the figures coming in from my honourable friend's

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constituency, they can be echoed around the country, I would say we

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are an open, free trading state, we trade around the world and trade

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within the Commonwealth is extremely important and we need to do more to

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promote it to stop it clear that trading between two Commonwealth

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countries is 19, 20% cheaper than trading outside the Commonwealth, it

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is something we need to do. We need to engage trading ministers more

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formally. Last year, Prime Minister Modi and our Prime Minister

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designated next year as the year of culture between India and the United

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Kingdom. Will they join me in welcoming the British Curry

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Festival, taking place in New Delhi in March of this year, when British

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chefs from Leicester, London and Reading, will be going to Delhi to

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make curry there? That he not agree this is a real example of good

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relations between Commonwealth countries? At the risk of seeking to

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curry favour with the right honourable gentleman... We must all

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wish our curry chefs every successfully travelled to India and

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hope that they have a speedy return, because we would all miss our curry

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wedding at home. -- -- were they not at home. It was this point, as well

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as talking about trade between the UK and Commonwealth countries, the

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functioning of the Commonwealth will surely be enhanced if there is more

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trade between Commonwealth countries, and to what extent can

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the UK play a role in trying to enhance that ensure trade,

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particularly in areas where we have substantial representation? It's as

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well to remember that we are an equal partner within the

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Commonwealth, we don't run it, and we wish Baroness Scotland every

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success in so doing, and we want... She has the universal support of

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this house, clearly! We want her to refocus the Commonwealth, we want to

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spend more time... There are similar issues going on elsewhere in the

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world but we want to spend more time boosting trade, and getting rid of

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tariffs and promoting intra- Commonwealth trade, and that we can

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do. I know the business and investment Council is doing a great

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job, business will play a large role in the Commonwealth conference in

:23:25.:23:30.

2018. Can I ask is serious question about the Commonwealth and the

:23:31.:23:33.

dramatic relations. How may members of the Commonwealth don't have an

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extradition agreement with this country? Increasingly be find people

:23:43.:23:46.

commit ghastly crimes, they need to Pakistan and we can't get them back

:23:47.:23:50.

to face justice. What is he doing about that? I say that is a very

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wide-ranging accusation and if he will write to me or come and see me

:23:58.:24:00.

on a specific case, I will be happy to look at this, we deal with these

:24:01.:24:10.

things on a case-by-case basis. Mr Speaker, with permission I will

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answer this question together with question 14. The conduct regulations

:24:15.:24:18.

which said that the detailed framework of how the referendum poll

:24:19.:24:22.

will be administered have now been agreed by both Houses of Parliament.

:24:23.:24:27.

The date of the referendum must now be agreed by Parliament in the

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further statutory instrument, laid before both houses in draft

:24:31.:24:38.

yesterday. A record number of people registered to vote in the Scottish

:24:39.:24:43.

independence referendum, 97% of the adult population. What efforts as

:24:44.:24:46.

the UK Government taking the match that success? This, as he will know,

:24:47.:24:54.

is the responsibility of the electoral commission, and they are

:24:55.:25:00.

planning a campaign to raise awareness of the need to register in

:25:01.:25:01.

good time for the referendum. Can the Minister give comfort to

:25:02.:25:13.

those Scottish students who are studying across Europe and can he

:25:14.:25:17.

provide the House with details of what contingency plans are in place

:25:18.:25:23.

should there be a no vote in the EU Referendum Bill? My advice to

:25:24.:25:27.

Scottish students studying in universities elsewhere is to ensure

:25:28.:25:33.

that they are registered to vote so that their votes to count along with

:25:34.:25:37.

everybody else in the referendum. You put your finger on one of the

:25:38.:25:42.

uncertainties about eight potential access from the EU because it is,

:25:43.:25:47.

after all, treaties that give British citizens the right to live,

:25:48.:25:52.

study and work in other EU countries. The Minister may recall

:25:53.:25:57.

that in response to my amendments to the Finance Bill, the Government

:25:58.:25:59.

promised to negotiate with the European Commission for zero VAT for

:26:00.:26:11.

sanitary products. As the Prime Minister used his recent

:26:12.:26:14.

negotiations to raise this issue and what progress has been made? The

:26:15.:26:21.

question of value added tax was already part of the EU system before

:26:22.:26:28.

the United Kingdom ever joined the European communities in the 1970s.

:26:29.:26:36.

There is a review of the current EU directives on value added tax that

:26:37.:26:40.

is due to take place this year and that is the appropriate forum in

:26:41.:26:44.

which to raise this issue and it is something the Government hopes to

:26:45.:26:49.

secure the reforms about which she is speaking. A successful UK

:26:50.:26:53.

Government has signed up to a range of agreements with regards to

:26:54.:26:59.

protecting our environment, and ensuring EU wide energy markets. The

:27:00.:27:05.

removal of environmental controls would be a backward step. I am sure

:27:06.:27:10.

the Minister for Europe will agree with me that a membership of the EU

:27:11.:27:14.

is vital in promoting the interests of people in Scotland and across the

:27:15.:27:20.

UK. However, the Minister will be aware that the Justice Secretary

:27:21.:27:25.

said last week, that our membership of the European Union prevents us to

:27:26.:27:33.

change law and stops us from choosing critical decisions which

:27:34.:27:40.

affect all of our lives. Can he confirm... Finish the sentence, very

:27:41.:27:46.

quickly. Can he confirm how his Government's plans have been

:27:47.:27:51.

constrained by European legislation or regulations? Like every member

:27:52.:28:02.

state of the EU, there will be particular issues that come up,

:28:03.:28:08.

particular measures where we find some of the ruling irksome. On

:28:09.:28:14.

balance, as the Prime Minister set out clearly yesterday, the

:28:15.:28:17.

Government is convinced membership of a reformed European Union will

:28:18.:28:21.

make the British people more prosperous, more secure and more

:28:22.:28:26.

influential in the world than any of the alternatives so far proposed. It

:28:27.:28:30.

is important that voters have the full fax at their disposal when

:28:31.:28:36.

making a choice in June. Can the Minister confirmed to the House that

:28:37.:28:39.

the Government has calculated the cost of implementing the proposals

:28:40.:28:44.

agreed at the EU Council last week, in particular those relating to the

:28:45.:28:47.

administration of the new benefits rules. What will be savings to the

:28:48.:28:56.

Treasury be? Some of this will be a matter for the implementation of

:28:57.:28:59.

regulations that will now follow both at European level and at

:29:00.:29:04.

national level. The answer to the honourable lady's question will

:29:05.:29:09.

depend upon what the level of benefits and tax credits is at the

:29:10.:29:13.

appropriate time in the UK. Those matters will become clear as time

:29:14.:29:19.

goes on. I wish the Minister great success in trying to alter the level

:29:20.:29:23.

of VAT on sanitary towels but could he confirm that if the British

:29:24.:29:29.

people decided to leave the European Union, could he confirm that will be

:29:30.:29:33.

up to the British Government to decide the level of VAT on sanitary

:29:34.:29:39.

towels and other products? That would depend upon the nature of the

:29:40.:29:46.

subsequent relationship because the reason why value-added tax has since

:29:47.:29:51.

before our membership of the EU, been something dealt with at EU

:29:52.:29:58.

level, is because the price at which goods are sold as a direct impact

:29:59.:30:02.

upon the notion of a single market and free trade within Europe will

:30:03.:30:07.

stop the issue that my honourable friend raises would have to be

:30:08.:30:10.

tackled in the course of negotiations about such a future

:30:11.:30:21.

relationship. As the House is aware, all prices are hovering around $30 a

:30:22.:30:27.

barrel, the lowest in 13 years and this is a consequence of lower

:30:28.:30:31.

global demand, continued production and the resilient production in the

:30:32.:30:38.

USA. Countries are taking action and they are diversifying their

:30:39.:30:42.

economies and removing subsidies. In reference to Russia, around half of

:30:43.:30:46.

the Government revenues have come from oil and gas and the GDP has

:30:47.:30:56.

declined by 4% last year. Clearly, foiling -- falling oil prices are

:30:57.:31:01.

having an effect on many countries. I was part of a delegation visiting

:31:02.:31:07.

Saudi Arabia last week. What encouragement is our Government

:31:08.:31:11.

doing to other countries to help and support them diversify and what

:31:12.:31:15.

opportunities does the Minister Seif British companies to assist in that?

:31:16.:31:22.

There are enormous opportunities as my honourable friend outlined is not

:31:23.:31:26.

just in Saudi Arabia but across the golf -- golf. We are working to

:31:27.:31:33.

diversify to help these countries with renewables, green energy and

:31:34.:31:37.

also Saudi Arabia has expressed an interest in opening up tourism.

:31:38.:31:41.

These are important aspects that Britain can play an important role

:31:42.:31:50.

in. I will is the eight and nine together. Britain was a driving

:31:51.:31:55.

force between -- behind the creation of the global coalition. We hosted

:31:56.:32:00.

the first meeting in January 2015 in London. I discussed the campaign

:32:01.:32:04.

against Daesh with other international partners including at

:32:05.:32:08.

a coalition small group meeting in Rome earlier this month. The Army in

:32:09.:32:19.

-- the Kurdish army has been battling since 2014. When he paid

:32:20.:32:24.

tribute to the Peshmerga and Seymore as to what role they may play no

:32:25.:32:33.

liberation. I am happy to pay tribute to the Peshmerga. They have

:32:34.:32:37.

proved themselves to be a resilient fighting force and the most

:32:38.:32:41.

effective force operating against Daesh. The UK's training and

:32:42.:32:45.

providing equipment to the Peshmerga. I had an opportunity to

:32:46.:32:53.

meet with the President of the KR G2 talk about the liberation of Mosul

:32:54.:33:00.

and be the role the Peshmerga might pay -- play. The Kurdish regional

:33:01.:33:05.

Government is more open to the idea that the Peshmerga will play a role

:33:06.:33:11.

in the liberation of Mozilla. They have also agreed to Iraqi security

:33:12.:33:21.

forces being based in the KR G in order to prepare for the assault on

:33:22.:33:27.

Mosil. It is more likely that we will see a successful assault on

:33:28.:33:34.

Mosil sooner rather than later. Seeking a solution in Syria has gone

:33:35.:33:38.

hand-in-hand with our humanitarian aid in the region. When he set out

:33:39.:33:44.

how increased diplomatic cooperation will improve and assist our

:33:45.:33:48.

humanitarian aid in the region, specifically neighbouring countries

:33:49.:33:52.

such as Jordan and Lebanon? We hosted a successful Syria and

:33:53.:33:59.

regional conference on the 4th of February raising $11 billion in a

:34:00.:34:02.

single day. The real significance of that meeting was that we moved on

:34:03.:34:07.

from the idea of simply collecting money and distributing it, to

:34:08.:34:10.

working with host countries in the region, to ensure that refugees are

:34:11.:34:16.

able to access the labour market, can get education for their children

:34:17.:34:20.

and can access health care, making them less likely to feel the need to

:34:21.:34:24.

decamp and become regular migrants heading towards Europe. King

:34:25.:34:33.

Abdullah of Jordan asks that we reach out to areas like Bosnia which

:34:34.:34:43.

may be the next trouble spots. Are we making any progress? We should be

:34:44.:34:49.

very much focused not only on those countries that are already facing

:34:50.:34:52.

this challenge, but the countries that are next in line for the

:34:53.:35:00.

challenge, seeking to enforce them. The Prime Minister's of all Western

:35:01.:35:02.

Balkan countries were in London yesterday and I had been Minister to

:35:03.:35:07.

meet the President of Bosnia-Herzegovina over. We're

:35:08.:35:13.

working closely with them to ensure the resilience and the European

:35:14.:35:21.

trajectory of that region. On the issue of Daesh fighters returning

:35:22.:35:25.

home to countries within Europe, whatever its have been made in terms

:35:26.:35:29.

of diplomatic coordination to ensure there is a more common response

:35:30.:35:34.

among countries in Europe to ensure we keep our citizens here safe and

:35:35.:35:38.

prevent these people coming back to wreak havoc through terrorism on

:35:39.:35:43.

towns and cities in the UK? Different countries in Europe have

:35:44.:35:48.

different domestic legislation around this issue. We have some of

:35:49.:35:53.

the most robust measures available to us to deal with returning

:35:54.:35:59.

fighters. It is precisely because of the importance of exchange of

:36:00.:36:02.

information between European partners, that the Prime Minister

:36:03.:36:07.

was able to confirm that we believe Britain is safer and more resilient

:36:08.:36:14.

against the threat of terrorism by its cooperation with EU. If

:36:15.:36:26.

operations against Daesh are successful... Thank you, I hope the

:36:27.:36:39.

gentleman will not be deflected. What is the threat of them moving to

:36:40.:36:44.

Libya and has the Foreign Secretary made an assessment of that

:36:45.:36:50.

eventuality? There is clearly a risk that as Daesh is defeated in Iraq

:36:51.:36:58.

and Syria, the embryonic presence in Libya, particularly around one area

:36:59.:37:05.

could be a base for operations 100 miles off the coast of Europe. That

:37:06.:37:10.

is why we are working with our partners and allies to encourage the

:37:11.:37:13.

formation of a Libyan Government of National cord that we can work with

:37:14.:37:19.

to start stabilising the country and pushing back on those Daesh

:37:20.:37:27.

footholds in Libya. Could the Secretary of State say how far ahead

:37:28.:37:30.

we are in terms of bringing about that coordination and bringing a

:37:31.:37:35.

stable authority within Libya to take on Daesh? We have seen an

:37:36.:37:39.

increasing Daesh activity and there is still a lot of disconnect between

:37:40.:37:44.

different bodies in Libya. What progress has been made? There is

:37:45.:37:48.

progress being made among European partners and with the US preparing

:37:49.:37:55.

the support we can give to a Government of National cord in Libya

:37:56.:37:58.

when and if it is formed. The problem is that several months after

:37:59.:38:03.

we first expected to happen, it still not been formed. We are

:38:04.:38:06.

working closely with the parties in Libya and with the regional powers

:38:07.:38:10.

who have influence, particularly Egypt, to encourage Prime Minister

:38:11.:38:15.

-- the Prime Minister to get that Government formed an approved so we

:38:16.:38:20.

can engage. There is a strong commitment by the European partners

:38:21.:38:24.

to engage once that Government is created.

:38:25.:38:31.

Much does get said during the election of cycles and we were

:38:32.:38:38.

concerned by some of the statements that have been made during the

:38:39.:38:43.

Israeli election. I was in Israel last week and I can confirm that I

:38:44.:38:49.

had meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu. He remains committed to

:38:50.:38:56.

the two state solution. It has been over 20 years since Oslo and there

:38:57.:39:00.

are more than 350,000 illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied

:39:01.:39:04.

West Bank. 300,000 Israeli settlers in east Jerusalem and the Government

:39:05.:39:10.

continues to announce the building of more illegal settlements. Does he

:39:11.:39:13.

believe this will aid the priest process and if not, what is he doing

:39:14.:39:25.

about it? -- peace process. This is unhelpful and takes us into the

:39:26.:39:29.

wrong direction. Through my visit, I visited some of the settlements

:39:30.:39:33.

developing there and while announcing when new settlements have

:39:34.:39:36.

slowed down, we are seeing the existing settlements are starting to

:39:37.:39:39.

grow and that happens without people seeing this. We have an area to the

:39:40.:39:45.

north of Jerusalem and if that continues to grow in the method that

:39:46.:39:52.

it does, it will link up towards the north of Jericho. It will

:39:53.:39:55.

essentially say there are no two state solutions. We need Israel to

:39:56.:40:00.

show it is committed to this and stop the settlements. On the issue

:40:01.:40:04.

of words, something that is rubbished is the issue of incitement

:40:05.:40:09.

and the increasing amounts of incitement we're seeing from the

:40:10.:40:13.

Palestinian Authority 's and media. Some has been referenced by those

:40:14.:40:17.

committing knife attacks on innocent civilians. Last week I said -- spent

:40:18.:40:22.

a visit to a school in Brussels where I had appalling stories of

:40:23.:40:26.

anomie -- anti-Semitism in Europe where people deliberately conflate

:40:27.:40:32.

Jews and Israel. The Minister condemned not only the incitement

:40:33.:40:35.

we're seeing outside of the Palestinian Authority, but the

:40:36.:40:37.

attacks which we are seeing in Europe as a result of this?

:40:38.:40:43.

I agree that what we are seeing, Israelis, subject to brutality and

:40:44.:40:53.

murder, is unacceptable and Israel has the obligation to defend its

:40:54.:40:59.

citizens. But we are seeing is the anti-Semitism there, the reaction

:41:00.:41:05.

often through websites, reappearing in Europe or closer to home and we

:41:06.:41:09.

have been working hard with international colleagues, to make

:41:10.:41:13.

sure that we stamp out anti-Semitism, no matter where full.

:41:14.:41:23.

A clear majority of Israelis support the setting up of a Palestinian

:41:24.:41:27.

state but as the Minister agree that actions like how mass, mounting

:41:28.:41:36.

attacks on Israel from Gaza, makes it less attainable? She is right,

:41:37.:41:47.

what we are seeing is some of the developments, it is like deja vu,

:41:48.:41:51.

we're going round again, the rebuilding of the tunnels

:41:52.:41:56.

themselves, the missiles start to fly, where does it take us? This is

:41:57.:42:00.

not a confidence building measure, in the same way that building

:42:01.:42:03.

settlements is not a confidence building measure. We need to make

:42:04.:42:08.

sure we empower the Palestinian Authority so it has the ability to

:42:09.:42:12.

look after and take responsibility for the governments of Gaza, that is

:42:13.:42:22.

the way forward. I'm sure there is a big contrast in the growth of

:42:23.:42:26.

extremism, Israeli authorities deal with Jewish extremism, they

:42:27.:42:36.

investigate, prosecute and condemn. Whereas violent extremists, so far

:42:37.:42:39.

as the Palestinian Authority, the name schools after them, sporting

:42:40.:42:44.

events after them, they glorify them on television. Will they take the

:42:45.:42:51.

opportunity to condemn absolutely the attitude of the Palestinian

:42:52.:42:54.

Authority and urge them to cease this senseless encouragement to

:42:55.:43:01.

violence? He makes a powerful argument, and it's important that we

:43:02.:43:06.

actually see that there are affirmative actions on both sides to

:43:07.:43:08.

reduce tensions, but I raise the specific matter of inflaming, of

:43:09.:43:14.

using words, health Minister in the Palestinian Authority was unhelpful

:43:15.:43:21.

in the comments she made recently in condemning the attacks taking place.

:43:22.:43:25.

This takes us into the wrong direction. We should be doing

:43:26.:43:30.

things, making steps that encourage others to act in consequence of

:43:31.:43:35.

that. I wish we had more time but we haven't. Question number 11. I had

:43:36.:43:43.

productive discussions at the joint ministerial Council with other

:43:44.:43:47.

overseas Territory leaders in December, we agreed progress on in

:43:48.:43:50.

permitting central registers, a system should be kept under

:43:51.:43:56.

continuous and close review, discussions are ongoing but I want

:43:57.:44:01.

to see significant progress ahead of the anti-corruption Summit being

:44:02.:44:04.

hosted by the Prime Minister in May. Will he confirm that the overseas

:44:05.:44:09.

territories and Crown dependencies will be at the summit and will we do

:44:10.:44:14.

our part to make sure that we secure commitment from them to clean up

:44:15.:44:18.

their act and make company on this public? Final in bytes for the

:44:19.:44:24.

summit have not yet gone out of the discussions are ongoing, -- invites.

:44:25.:44:31.

The director is currently visiting the Cayman Islands and British

:44:32.:44:36.

Virgin Islands, thrashing out some of the details. Does the Minister

:44:37.:44:42.

expect those registers will be publicly available all of close to

:44:43.:44:46.

one, to gain access to relevant authorities? I am sorry, I was

:44:47.:44:56.

strong to follow his question as to whether they would be open or

:44:57.:45:00.

closed. They will be open registers available for law enforcement

:45:01.:45:07.

agencies to interrogate, not publicly open registers. That is a

:45:08.:45:10.

long-term aspiration but initially we want to get that access for law

:45:11.:45:15.

enforcement agencies, which will create greater transparency and

:45:16.:45:23.

reduce corruption. In April 2014 the Prime Minister said that, I believe

:45:24.:45:28.

the beneficial ownership and public access of a central register is key

:45:29.:45:31.

to improving the transparency of company ownership and vital to

:45:32.:45:35.

meeting the urgent challenges of tax evasion. Nearly two years have

:45:36.:45:40.

passed and there still appears to be no time table for transparency

:45:41.:45:43.

arrangements in regard to the financial centres, why is this?

:45:44.:45:48.

There has already been much progress. I think she dismisses that

:45:49.:45:54.

progressed to regulate. There are checkpoints, last week we were

:45:55.:46:00.

speaking with overseas territory leaders, there are people there at

:46:01.:46:03.

the moment and we hope to crystallise some of these

:46:04.:46:08.

improvements before them summit in May on corruption, which was brought

:46:09.:46:11.

by the Prime Minister and will be held in London, demonstrating their

:46:12.:46:17.

commitment to this important issue. Can the Minister told the house the

:46:18.:46:24.

exact date by which he expects overseas territory financial centres

:46:25.:46:28.

to ensure proper transparency arrangements, or are we going to

:46:29.:46:31.

continue to hear more excuses for inaction in the years to come? This

:46:32.:46:37.

is an area of direction rather than an ultimate direction, and we will

:46:38.:46:43.

constantly be asking the international community to do more

:46:44.:46:47.

to create greater transparency but it is crucial that the international

:46:48.:46:52.

community, whether the Crown dependencies, overseas territories,

:46:53.:46:54.

are moved together on this, because we want to eliminate the problem of

:46:55.:46:59.

corrupt money rather than shift it from territory to territory. It is

:47:00.:47:05.

the best bit quickfire questions, quickfire answers. Number one. The

:47:06.:47:15.

Foreign Office's mission is to protect our values through our

:47:16.:47:19.

diplomacy and the Prime Minister's deal with the EU but offers the

:47:20.:47:24.

basis for Britain's feature prosperity and future in Europe. The

:47:25.:47:30.

crisis in Syria, the result in migration to Europe, the levels of

:47:31.:47:33.

Russian aggression and the Terror is the threat from Islamist extremism

:47:34.:47:38.

remain the principal threats to the security of the UK and UK citizens

:47:39.:47:43.

around the world. I should recommend this to the register of interests,

:47:44.:47:48.

as we know from Northern Ireland, conciliation is only possible if

:47:49.:47:53.

both sides want it to move forward. Will he recognise efforts made by

:47:54.:47:59.

the Sri Lankan sides in building a strong democracy and unite the

:48:00.:48:02.

island, and will he encourage them to continue? I was in Franco last

:48:03.:48:08.

month and I was able to meet the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and

:48:09.:48:13.

travel to the north -- I was in Sri Lanka. I have spoken to the High

:48:14.:48:19.

Commissioner in Geneva, who has been there, he was there in February, we

:48:20.:48:23.

are looking forward to his update on Sri Lanka at the UN human rights

:48:24.:48:30.

Council in June. As events in the Ukraine and Middle East have

:48:31.:48:34.

reminded us, nations committed to peace, security and democracy need

:48:35.:48:38.

to stand together in the face of aggression. Our membership of the US

:48:39.:48:41.

is one of the most important ways in which we do this and the Foreign

:48:42.:48:45.

Secretary knows that ending our alliance with the Ewart sent a

:48:46.:48:50.

dangerous signal, including two Daesh and President Putin. Why does

:48:51.:48:55.

he think that's his cabinet colleagues cannot see this and are

:48:56.:48:58.

intent on a course of action that would weaken's voice in the world

:48:59.:49:05.

and undermine our security? Each person in this country will have to

:49:06.:49:07.

make up their own mind about the questions before them in the

:49:08.:49:11.

forthcoming referendum and I have always said this is a balancing

:49:12.:49:15.

equation, there are pluses and minuses in every international

:49:16.:49:19.

relationship but I agree that on the question of Britain's security and

:49:20.:49:23.

influence in the world, there is no doubt we are stronger, safer and

:49:24.:49:26.

more influential as part of the European Union. I'm grateful to the

:49:27.:49:33.

Foreign Secretary for that reply. The report of the UN human rights

:49:34.:49:37.

Council enquiry on Syria, published this month, found that, "Flagrant

:49:38.:49:42.

politicians of human rights and international humanitarian law

:49:43.:49:46.

continued unabated. " The ceasefire is needed but it will only relieve

:49:47.:49:53.

suffering if it is adhered to. What a CSS are the prospects for ensuring

:49:54.:49:58.

that Russia respects the ceasefire by ending its attacks on the Syrian

:49:59.:50:01.

people and if it does not, what further pressure can be put on

:50:02.:50:09.

President Putin to do so? The issue is going to be this, the Russians

:50:10.:50:13.

will say that they are complying with the ceasefire, and they will

:50:14.:50:17.

say that continued attacks, air strikes, are justified by the terms

:50:18.:50:23.

of the ceasefire and that they will be a Mrs D to pour over individual

:50:24.:50:29.

attacks by the US and Russia in the coordination sought to identify what

:50:30.:50:36.

happened. The big picture is this. Unless the level of Russian air

:50:37.:50:40.

strikes tragically decreases, this ceasefire will not hold because the

:50:41.:50:43.

moderate armed opposition cannot lay down their weapons and will not,

:50:44.:50:49.

while they are being annihilated from the air by the Russian

:50:50.:50:56.

aircraft. The Tanzanian electoral commission announced the general

:50:57.:50:59.

election results in Zanzibar at the end of last year and there has been

:51:00.:51:02.

increased electoral violence in Zanzibar as we head to the poll on

:51:03.:51:07.

March 20. What representations on making the 10th union government to

:51:08.:51:12.

make sure we do not return to the violence of the thousand and 2001?

:51:13.:51:20.

-- the Tanzanian government. We are concerned by the decision to annul

:51:21.:51:23.

the elections for the Zanzibar Presidency and the house of

:51:24.:51:28.

representatives on the 28th of October. Our position will set out

:51:29.:51:32.

in the statement by the British High Commissioner on the 29th of October

:51:33.:51:36.

and we have raised these concerns at the highest level, including the

:51:37.:51:38.

Foreign Secretary in his telephone call to the then Prime Minister, my

:51:39.:51:45.

telephone call to be Foreign Minister in December and my right

:51:46.:51:49.

honourable friend in his meeting with the same individual in January.

:51:50.:51:53.

I hope to visit Tanzania in the coming months and raised these pods

:51:54.:51:59.

personally. Given his response to earlier questions rating the benefit

:52:00.:52:04.

to the UK of remaining in the Yukon is it not a real concern that many

:52:05.:52:07.

of his colleagues in the government would put our security at risk by

:52:08.:52:17.

Brexit? This is a referendum in which members of Parliament will

:52:18.:52:20.

each have one vote, along with every member of the UK electorate. In my

:52:21.:52:25.

experience, there are deeply held views both for and against petition

:52:26.:52:31.

on the ship in both my party and the Honourable Lady's party. My view is

:52:32.:52:39.

clear that this country is going to be more prosperous, more secure,

:52:40.:52:42.

more influential in the world through continued EU membership.

:52:43.:52:49.

Given the ongoing Russian incursion into Georgian sovereign territory,

:52:50.:52:56.

but he absolutely condemn the situation in the southern Caucasus,

:52:57.:53:02.

and does he think the situation in South city must now be regarded as

:53:03.:53:09.

the new norm? We should be alert to Russia's aggressive actions in

:53:10.:53:14.

former Soviet Union countries, wherever they are, not just in

:53:15.:53:18.

Ukraine and arguably we were too slow to recognise what was happening

:53:19.:53:23.

in Georgia was the beginning of a new mention the Russian foreign

:53:24.:53:27.

policy, we should have resisted it robustly and we should push back

:53:28.:53:33.

wherever we can. Can he confirm whether or not his discussions with

:53:34.:53:38.

the US about Libya have included the possibility of UK military action

:53:39.:53:42.

and can confirm there will be none without approval from this house?

:53:43.:53:48.

Have a long established convention which he knows that before

:53:49.:53:53.

committing UK come back forces to combat, in all situations where it

:53:54.:53:59.

is possible, other than the direct emergency, or where considerations

:54:00.:54:03.

of secrecy make it impossible, the Prime Minister is committed to bring

:54:04.:54:06.

the issue to the house and allowing the house and opportunity to

:54:07.:54:13.

discuss. What have they made of the securities situation in Burundi and

:54:14.:54:18.

what steps have been taken to bolster Her Majesty's government's

:54:19.:54:23.

presents there? In response to the crisis, we have stepped up military

:54:24.:54:28.

and support to people fleeing Burundi, abiding money, the

:54:29.:54:34.

parliamentary under Secretary of State for International Development

:54:35.:54:39.

has decided to recruit a full-time coordinator, based in Bujumbura,

:54:40.:54:44.

this will be good news, they have been pressing the government to do

:54:45.:54:49.

this and we will commit on both sides of the house. On the 4th of

:54:50.:54:53.

January the Secretary of State told the house that China's claim to be

:54:54.:54:58.

treated as a market economy should be judged through the prism of

:54:59.:55:03.

steel. Given that 70% of the Chinese steel industry is owned by the

:55:04.:55:06.

Chinese government, can the Secretary of State confirm that

:55:07.:55:09.

China should empathic they not be granted market economy status? What

:55:10.:55:15.

I said in January, he will find if he checks the record, is I had come

:55:16.:55:19.

back from China, where I had conveyed the message to the Chinese

:55:20.:55:25.

that there claim to market economy status and the consideration of the

:55:26.:55:28.

claim would be judged through the prism of their actions in the nation

:55:29.:55:32.

to steal, they gave me assurances then and in October that they are

:55:33.:55:36.

seeking to address overcapacity in the Chinese market will stop we have

:55:37.:55:41.

just had discussion about this this morning and I've learnt that there

:55:42.:55:44.

protests going on in China about loss of steel jobs just as there are

:55:45.:55:48.

in the UK and other places throughout Europe. The reality is we

:55:49.:55:53.

have a massive surplus of steel capacity throughout the world and we

:55:54.:55:54.

have to address it. Following the action against Daesh,

:55:55.:56:05.

what are the plans to make a permanent memorial? There is a

:56:06.:56:17.

migration and a concern that Daesh is moving out under pressure in Iraq

:56:18.:56:22.

and Syria to other parts of the world, including Libya. He is right

:56:23.:56:25.

to make the connection between what happened in Libya, the terrorist

:56:26.:56:31.

attack that took place killing many Britons. We all hold a memorial

:56:32.:56:37.

service on the 12th of April to mark this event. A recent UN report

:56:38.:56:46.

suggested Saudi Arabia's military operation Yemen is targeting

:56:47.:56:50.

civilians. Is the minister confident that the UK Government is fulfilling

:56:51.:56:55.

its obligations under the arms trade treaty in relation to Saudi Arabia

:56:56.:57:03.

in this case? We have discussed the expert's panel for the UN on this

:57:04.:57:08.

report. We are looking at the report in detail. It was done by satellite

:57:09.:57:13.

evidence. The experts didn't visit the country itself and we have to

:57:14.:57:16.

bear that in mind. We have passed the information on and are

:57:17.:57:22.

discussing it with Saudi Arabia. I had a letter from the ambassador

:57:23.:57:26.

this week confirming that every effort is made to follow human

:57:27.:57:29.

rights law in the support of the President and UN resolution 2216.

:57:30.:57:43.

Immigration controls in Calais are governed by the Treaty of Le

:57:44.:57:50.

Touquet. He will also know that the treaty can only be broken if the

:57:51.:57:53.

British or the French choose to do so and it has nothing to do with

:57:54.:57:56.

whether we are members of the European Union or not. We ask, which

:57:57.:58:04.

ever person said it, to stop talking this nonsense, that if we leave the

:58:05.:58:08.

EU, we are suddenly going to find a massive refugee camp in the heart of

:58:09.:58:15.

Kent? The Treaty of Le Touquet is certainly vital to this country's

:58:16.:58:21.

border security of the 100,000 people who have been stopped from

:58:22.:58:25.

entering the UK in the past five years, roughly a quarter were

:58:26.:58:31.

stopped at Calais. We cooperate closely with the French Government

:58:32.:58:38.

but I fear my honourable friend underestimates the extent of

:58:39.:58:40.

domestic French opposition and protest against the controls, that

:58:41.:58:45.

if we left the EU, the stock of goodwill towards the Treaty of Le

:58:46.:58:52.

Touquet would be severely depleted. On the Foreign Office website, there

:58:53.:58:57.

is advice to companies thinking of doing business with illegal Israeli

:58:58.:59:03.

settlements. It says financial transactions, investments,

:59:04.:59:05.

procurements as well as other economic activities in Israeli

:59:06.:59:09.

settlements and tell legal and economic risks. We do not encourage

:59:10.:59:15.

or office opposed to such activity. Does the Government give the same

:59:16.:59:18.

advice to public bodies including loud -- local councils with regard

:59:19.:59:23.

to their procurement assistance? We are clear with local authorities

:59:24.:59:30.

that they should not be bound by -- that they are bound by procurement

:59:31.:59:34.

rules. We do not support boycott movements and the Minister for the

:59:35.:59:38.

Cabinet Office was in Israel last week and made that abundantly clear

:59:39.:59:43.

them. With the US wishing to continue for a further 20 years, is

:59:44.:59:49.

military presence on Diego Garcia, what discussions are the Foreign

:59:50.:59:53.

Office planning to have with Washington about facilitating

:59:54.:00:04.

bringing them back? We made it clear we wanted the US presence to

:00:05.:00:07.

continue but the Government has not held discussions with the US about

:00:08.:00:12.

continuing that arrangement. I very much welcome his discussions if you

:00:13.:00:16.

weeks ago at the Foreign Office as part of the all-party group visit to

:00:17.:00:20.

the Foreign Office. I will continue to liaise with him when the

:00:21.:00:26.

Government does come to a conclusion following the report and following

:00:27.:00:34.

the consultation. Following on from yesterday's dropping the value of

:00:35.:00:37.

sterling, implication does the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

:00:38.:00:41.

office anticipate for Britain and Northern Ireland as a result of the

:00:42.:00:48.

uncertainty around the referendum? Uncertainty always has a cost to

:00:49.:00:53.

business. Business hates uncertainty and the markets will reflect that

:00:54.:00:58.

uncertainty. That is why it is right to hold the referendum at the

:00:59.:01:03.

earliest possible date, 23rd of June, so people can get on with

:01:04.:01:09.

their business. When I canvassed the streets of Newark for local

:01:10.:01:11.

elections, people asked me what the views of my local councillors are

:01:12.:01:18.

refuse collection or potholes. I rarely hear them ask their views on

:01:19.:01:23.

foreign policy. What my right honourable friend agree that foreign

:01:24.:01:26.

policy is set by the Foreign Secretary and by the Government and

:01:27.:01:30.

debated in this house, not by our town halls and we should all

:01:31.:01:34.

therefore support the Government's action against boycotts and

:01:35.:01:40.

sanctions? One of my colleagues has reminded me he is not the only one

:01:41.:01:44.

who pounded the patents of Newark. Everybody on these benches did so.

:01:45.:01:51.

Foreign policy is a matter for the Government of the United Kingdom and

:01:52.:01:56.

is the business of this Parliament and it is important we have a single

:01:57.:01:59.

foreign policy which is clearly projected so Britain's position in

:02:00.:02:02.

the world is understood and strengthened. Demand always

:02:03.:02:08.

massively exceeds supply at Question Time. We haven't time but I am

:02:09.:02:17.

allowing time for one last question. , Press the Foreign Secretary

:02:18.:02:23.

further on and they gave to my honourable friend from Sheffield

:02:24.:02:27.

South East? Is there anything in the rules which feted as a public

:02:28.:02:33.

institutions ability to act on the advice that his website puts out my

:02:34.:02:41.

honourable friend quoted? Public bodies in this country are bound by

:02:42.:02:45.

the EU procurement directive in their purchasing activity and must

:02:46.:02:51.

follow those rules. I am sorry to disappoint colleagues. There is huge

:02:52.:02:54.

interest in what the Foreign Office does and says. We'll have to leave

:02:55.:03:07.

it there for today. Urgent question. To ask the Secretary of

:03:08.:03:08.

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