Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>The Government has raised the reports of Syrian refugees stranded at their border with the Jordanian authorities. While we respect the rights of the Jordanians to control their border and protect entry against extremists and terrorists, we have stressed the humanitarian imperative that vulnerable people are protected and given refuge.</p>Baroness Anelay of St Johns2014-10-28false2014-10-28T16:57:23.667052Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-10-20Syria2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Syrian refugees are being refused entry to Jordan; whether they have any information about the situation of any such people; and whether they will make the necessary representations to enhance their well-being.falseLord HyltonHL2221Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeReports from Kobane continue to be deeply concerning. We have not made representations about these specific allegations, but we maintain a close dialogue with Turkey on the evolving crisis in the region. We applaud Turkey’s generosity in hosting over 170,000 refugees that have fled the fighting in Kobane in recent weeks, in addition to the 1.4 million refugees already in Turkey.Baroness Anelay of St Johns2014-11-04false2014-11-04T17:55:10.6075039Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-10-21Syria2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Turkey over the Syrian Kurds currently detained by them at Suruc and who do not wish to be returned to Kobane.falseLord HyltonHL2238Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>While we consider the National Coalition the sole legitimate representatives of the Syrian people, it is not at present the government in Syria. The Coalition is working to realise the aspirations of the vast majority of Syrians for a democratic and pluralist future for their country. The Assad regime has lost all legitimacy by responding to the demands of its people for their basic rights and freedoms with escalating, and horrifying, brutality: using chemical weapons, heavy artillery and air power against civilians; unlawfully detaining and torturing its own people, including children; and preventing life-saving humanitarian support from getting to those who need it. The recent Syrian presidential elections were a parody of democracy and served only as a reminder of the continued illegitimacy of the Assad regime.</p>Baroness Warsi2014-06-18false2014-06-18T11:49:15.5514207Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-06-05Syria2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty's Government whom they consider to be the legitimate government of Syria.falseLord EmpeyHL90Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>The UK has regular discussions with international partners focused on tackling the shared threat from foreign fighters travelling to Syria. These include contacts with the Government of Turkey, with which we work to prevent foreign fighters from using Turkey as a transit route for Syria, including by strengthening protective security measures and using passenger information.</p>Baroness Warsi2014-06-18false2014-06-18T11:48:21.4460026Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-06-09Syria2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the government of Turkey to help prevent foreign fighters entering Syria.falseLord HyltonHL174Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>Lakhdar Brahimi has played a crucial role as joint UN and Arab League Special Envoy for Syria since June 2012. He showed strong leadership and great patience in getting the parties to the conflict round the same table in Geneva and take the first steps towards potentially constructive dialogue. The responsibility for the collapse of negotiations rests wholly with the regime's refusal to engage in discussion on an agenda for future talks put forward by Mr Brahimi. The appointment and mandate of any future UN Special Envoy is still under consideration by the UN.</p>Baroness Warsi2014-06-18false2014-06-18T11:51:07.8912553Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-06-10Syria2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the resignation of Mr Lakhdar Brahimi as United Nations mediator in Syria.falseLord HyltonHL245Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>The limited amnesties on prisoner release offered by President Assad do not offer a genuine solution to the problems in Syria. While the British Government has been consistent in calling for the release of political prisoners it is as yet unclear who these amnesties will affect and how prisoners' safety will be assured. The lies and brutality of the Assad regime, as set out in the UN's Commission on Inquiry reports, mean that this amnesty will not provide reassurance to the Syrian opposition. If the Syrian regime is serious about bringing the conflict to an end, then they should release political prisoners unconditionally and negotiate seriously within the framework set out in the Geneva communiqué.</p>Baroness Warsi2014-06-18false2014-06-18T11:47:53.5095242Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-06-10Syria2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the offer of partial amnesties by President Assad of Syria.falseLord HyltonHL246Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>The Assad regime is the primary cause of terrorism in Syria, not the solution to it. The most effective way to tackle terrorism in Syria is to support the moderate opposition in its efforts to protect the Syrian people from the twin threats of tyranny and terrorism. The only sustainable solution to the crisis in Syria is to reach a negotiated political transition by the mutual consent of both sides – this is the principle in the Geneva Communiqué as endorsed by the UN Security Council.</p>Baroness Warsi2014-07-01false2014-07-01T12:44:26.3948815Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-06-18Syria2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Warsi on 17 June (WS 586–88), whether they plan to abandon their demand that President Assad step down and to urge co-operation between his government and the official opposition to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham and other Islamic terrorist groups in Syria.falseLord Stoddart of SwindonHL453Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>The Chemical Weapons Convention requires that the highest priority is given to ensuring the safety of people and to protecting the environment when destroying chemical weapons, and the plan has been endorsed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical by the Weapons. Waste products from this process will be stored safely and securely in industry standard containers, and will subsequently be disposed of in Germany and Finland, in accordance with national legislation. No waste from this process will be disposed of at sea.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Baroness Warsi2014-07-10false2014-07-10T13:33:24.7934041Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-06-27Syria2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the future environmental risk of the arrangements to neutralise Syria's chemical weapons at sea.falseLord Mackenzie of FramwellgateHL680Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>The UK is deeply concerned by reports of the abduction of Kurdish children by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Such actions are utterly appalling and we call for their immediate release. These actions demonstrate to the world the true nature of this vicious terrorist organisation.</p><p>Tackling extremists in Syria is a priority, and we are stepping up our support for the moderate opposition groups who are fighting them, and helping the neighbouring countries respond to this growing security threat. Finding a political settlement to the crisis is more pressing than ever, so that groups such as ISIL cannot take advantage of the conflict to expand their influence.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Baroness Warsi2014-07-21false2014-07-21T11:56:53.4150645Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-07-08Syria2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the call by UNICEF for the freeing of 140 Kurdish school boys recently abducted in Northern Syria, they intend to take steps to assist their release.falseLord HyltonHL921Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>The UK remains committed to finding a political settlement to the Syria crisis. President Assad is the greatest obstacle to such a settlement. He refused to engage substantively in the UN Security Council-backed Geneva II peace talks which aimed to establish a transitional government agreed by both sides, and lay the foundations for free and fair elections. Instead, his regime’s brutality continues to fuel the conflict, stoke sectarian tensions, and create conditions conducive to the growth of terrorism. President Assad is not a credible partner for solving this crisis.</p><p>The regime’s recent Presidential “elections” do not change this. They were a parody of democracy, taking place against the backdrop of horrendous violence, and disenfranchising the many millions of Syrians who have been forced to flee their homes. The Arab League, the UN, the US, Turkey and the EU all rejected these so-called elections.</p><p>We continue to call on the Assad regime to make a clear commitment to ending the violence and engaging in substantive talks with the opposition under the Geneva framework. The UK will continue to support a strong and more inclusive opposition and work to increase pressure on the regime in order to create conditions for a political settlement that can end the conflict and address the terrorist threat.</p>Baroness Warsi2014-07-22false2014-07-22T14:39:08.3561931Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-07-08Syria2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of President Assad’s re-election by the Syrian people, whether they intend to amend their stance on the Presidency of Syria as described in the answer by Baroness Warsi on 1 July (WA 253); and, if not, why not.falseLord Stoddart of SwindonHL956100156