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1138164

registered interest
date	10/07/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Sri Lanka: Politics and Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the political situation in Sri Lanka.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	275839
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office makes regular assessments of the political situation in Sri Lanka, including through the British High Commission in Colombo. Sri Lanka is a close partner of the UK and a fellow Commonwealth member, and we welcome our joint reaffirmation of democratic values at the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting on 10 July.</p><p>We are concerned about the rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric since the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks. We have urged the Government of Sri Lanka to take stronger action to protect minorities and prevent extremists in all communities from inciting violence. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific most recently raised these concerns with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister in June.</p><p>We are also concerned about President Sirisena's statements reiterating his intention to end the country's moratorium on the death penalty, and issued a statement on 26 June. While we welcome the Supreme Court ruling on 5 July halting executions until October, we have made clear our continued concern, including about the implications for our cooperation on counter narcotics, counter terrorism and other areas of law enforcement. We will continue to encourage the Government of Sri Lanka to maintain its moratorium.</p><p>More broadly, the UK continues to believe that Sri Lanka's commitments to the UN Human Rights Council through Resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1 remain the best framework for establishing truth, justice and lasting reconciliation in Sri Lanka. We will continue to encourage and support Sri Lanka to deliver on these commitments.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 18/07/2019 13:50:17 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1137086

registered interest
date	04/07/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the United Nations General Assembly that the decolonisation of Mauritius has not been lawfully completed because the detachment of the Chagos Archipelago was not based on the free and genuine expression of the will of the people of Mauritius; whether they accept that decision; and if not, why not.
tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
uin	HL16950
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>It is disappointing that Mauritius’ claim that the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is part of Mauritius, which we strongly refute, should have been referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by the UN General Assembly. It is an accepted international principle that States should not be compelled to have their bilateral disputes adjudicated upon by the ICJ without their consent. Circumventing this principle sets a dangerous precedent. BIOT has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. No international court or tribunal has ever found UK sovereignty to be in doubt. Mauritius agreed to the detachment of the islands in 1965, in return for certain benefits including a UK commitment, which we stand by, to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. Mauritius affirmed that agreement numerous times following independence, and in March 2015 a United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Arbitral Tribunal ruled the agreement to be internationally binding.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/07/2019 14:46:48 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1137087

registered interest
date	04/07/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	UN General Assembly
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times they have not complied with decisions of the United Nations General Assembly.
tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
uin	HL16951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>Under the United Nations Charter, the UN General Assembly passes resolutions that make recommendations to Member States. These resolutions are not legally binding. While resolutions express the view of the General Assembly as a whole, those Member States which vote against or abstain on individual resolutions are not legally committed to implement their respective contents. Of the 313 resolutions adopted during the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly (2017-18), 234 were adopted by consensus (i.e. without a vote). Of the remaining 79 which were adopted by vote, the UK voted in favour of 44, against 25 and abstained on 10 occasions.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/07/2019 14:47:09 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham