Tuesday Volume 567 3 September 2013 No. 42 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 3 September 2013 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2013 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 143 3 SEPTEMBER 2013 144 strong international response to the use of chemical House of Commons weapons in Syria, while of course fully respecting the views of the House. Tuesday 3 September 2013 Sarah Newton: I do not believe that the people of Britain want the people of Syria to feel that they have The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock been abandoned in their hour of need. Will my right hon. Friend, who has shown such a lead, continue to work with partners in providing humanitarian aid to PRAYERS help to alleviate the dreadful suffering that we see in Syria, and will he consider including in that humanitarian response protection against any future use of chemical [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] weapons? BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS Mr Hague: My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The United Kingdom’s total funding for humanitarian purposes LONDON LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND TRANSPORT FOR in Syria and the region is now £348 million. That is the LONDON (NO.2) BILL [LORDS] largest total sum that the UK has ever committed to a single crisis. UK aid is funding food for more than Further consideration of Bill, as amended, opposed and 280,000 people a month, and drinking water for almost deferred until Wednesday 11 September at 4 o’clock a million people. (Standing Order No. 20). My hon. Friend also mentioned protection. The package of chemical weapons protective equipment that I announced HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL (FILMING ON to the House just before the summer break has now HIGHWAYS)BILL [LORDS] arrived in the region. It includes 5,000 escape hoods, Second Reading opposed and deferred until Wednesday detector paper, and a stock of nerve agent pre-treatment 11 September at 4 o’clock (Standing Order No. 20). tablets. John Glen: Given that enormous commitment to aid, Oral Answers to Questions will the Foreign Secretary applaud the efforts of others such as Michael Bates in the other place, who last weekend completed a 518-mile walk from London to Derry in aid of Syria’s children, raising more than FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE £35,000 for the cause? Does not the record of aid and diplomacy achieved by the Government and the people in it suggest that the Government’s willingness to consider The Secretary of State was asked— military action was expressed reluctantly, and alongside an enormous commitment— Syria Mr Speaker: Order. I do not wish to be discourteous, 1. Sarah Newton (Truro and Falmouth) (Con): What but we must make progress. Questions must be much recent assessment he has made of the situation in Syria. pithier. [900075] 11. John Glen (Salisbury) (Con): What recent Mr Hague: To be brief, I join my hon. Friend in assessment he has made of the situation in Syria. saluting the work of, and the example set by, our noble [900085] Friend Lord Bates, as we should refer to him in this House. It is another example of the generosity of the 12. Karl McCartney (Lincoln) (Con): What recent British people—generosity that is being fully called on, assessment he has made of the situation in Syria. for the reasons that I have described. However, we shall [900086] have to be prepared to do even more in the months ahead, given the immense scale of the humanitarian 14. Guy Opperman (Hexham) (Con): What recent crisis. assessment he has made of the situation in Syria. [900090] Karl McCartney: It is truly regrettable that the House last week failed to vote for a motion condemning the The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth use of chemical weapons, and to back an international Affairs (Mr William Hague): The United Nations has response to the crisis in Syria. That was an outcome announced that there are now 2 million Syrian refugees that neither the Government nor the Opposition and in the region. The United Kingdom is already the their leader should have wanted to see. That same second largest donor, supporting more than 900,000 evening saw reports that the Assad regime had firebombed Syrians, and we will do more. The president of the a school. It seems that our inaction will possibly only Syrian National Coalition will visit London on Thursday, embolden Assad and his forces. Will my right hon. when we will discuss further support to save lives, Friend assure me, and the House, that the Government promote political dialogue in Syria, and advance the will continue to utilise diplomatic channels to push for a holding of a second Geneva conference. We support a solution to the crisis? 145 Oral Answers3 SEPTEMBER 2013 Oral Answers 146 Mr Hague: We absolutely will. I have referred to our along with America’s partners around Europe, trying to humanitarian work, but we must also never stop our work closely with Russia on this. As I was just saying, diplomatic efforts. We have promoted a second conference the test for Iran is whether it is really prepared to play a in Geneva, as have other nations. The Prime Minister constructive role, because we must remember that Iran discussed that with President Putin last week, and I has, from all the evidence presented, been actively supporting discussed it with my counterpart Sergei Lavrov. When the Syrian regime, including in the killing of so many the Prime Minister attends the G20 summit in St Petersburg innocent people in Syria. It has not played a constructive at the end of the week, he will have further opportunities role so far, but we are prepared to talk to it. for discussion. There is still an overwhelming case for the holding of a peace conference in Geneva, and we Dame Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab): will continue to work towards that. What the Syrian people need is a ceasefire, not a barrage of cruise missiles. Is the Foreign Secretary aware that Guy Opperman (Hexham) (Con): What specific steps the media have reported that Senator John McCain has are being taken to put diplomatic pressure on Russia said that President Obama has told him that this will itself? not just be a punishment strike, but it will be a wider military action in order to tip the balance towards the Mr Hague: I mentioned a moment ago the conversations opposition? Will the right hon. Gentleman dissociate we have with Russian leaders. Whether they feel that as himself entirely from such sentiments? diplomatic pressure, we shall see. Russia has proved immune to what my hon. Friend and I would normally Mr Hague: I do not believe that to be the intention of regard as diplomatic pressure when it has come to votes the United States. President Obama has made his purpose at the UN Security Council. The Russians are committed very clear, but in any case he has now referred this to the also to bringing about a Geneva peace conference, so United States Congress so I think we have to allow, as we have to work on that common ground, but not only the US Administration has called for, the US Congress to bring about a peace conference, but to do it in to make its decision. We had our vote last week, and the circumstances where it has a chance of success, and US Congress will have its vote, but President Obama is that, of course, has been the most elusive thing so far. very clear that any action proposed by the United States would be to deter the further use of chemical weapons. I Mr Jack Straw (Blackburn) (Lab): Does the Foreign think we can take him at his word on that, and I am not Secretary accept that the chances of success of any going to criticise him for putting that forward. peace conference will be greatly enhanced if Iran is involved, and given the election of Dr Hassan Rouhani Mr Douglas Alexander (Paisley and Renfrewshire as President, will he say what extra efforts he has been South) (Lab): Let me return to the diplomatic initiatives making to reach out to the Iranian Government? the Foreign Secretary mentioned. Will he first offer the House an assurance that the British Government will be Mr Hague: The chances would be enhanced not urging the attendance of Lakhdar Brahimi at the G20 necessarily by Iran being involved, but by Iran playing a meeting in order to facilitate a discussion that many of constructive role in trying to bring about a settlement at us would judge necessary on Syria? Secondly, will he such a peace conference. I think nearly all of us who consider the establishment of a Syrian contact group so participated in the first Geneva conference last year that not just Iran but Russia and, indeed, the Kingdom where Iran was not present came to the view that we of Saudi Arabia could, as principal sponsors of the could not even have reached the conclusion we did on respective sides of this conflict, be engaged in trying to the need for a transitional Government in Syria had find a way towards Geneva? Iran been there. So it depends on the role Iran is prepared to play. I had a conversation a few weeks ago Mr Hague: To be clear, we expect the discussion on with the outgoing Iranian Foreign Minister. I have Syria at the G20 to be in a series of bilateral meetings.