Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of
the ongoing conflict in Idlib, Syria.
The Question was considered in a Virtual Proceeding via video
call.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and
Department for International Development () (Con)
My Lords, we welcome the ongoing ceasefire in Idlib and call on
all sides to abide by their obligations under the Russia-Turkey
agreement of 5 March and to heed UN envoy Pedersen’s calls for a
permanent, nationwide cessation of hostilities. We also remain
deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Idlib, with
846,000 people still displaced and at high risk of Covid-19. We
have therefore further increased our humanitarian response.
I am grateful to the Minister for his response but, with 84
hospitals destroyed, some commentators are suggesting that in
Idlib alone 100,000 people are at risk of coronavirus. What are
Her Majesty’s Government doing to ensure that we have medical
equipment, particularly ventilators, in that country to prevent
what could be another humanitarian crisis?
The right reverend Prelate is right to raise this important
issue. I assure him that we are at the forefront of multilateral
action in this respect. The situation on the ground in Idlib has
stabilised somewhat and we have already pledged £744 million as
part of UK aid to end the coronavirus pandemic as quickly as
possible. We will work with international partners to see how
best we can make aid work in Idlib.
(Lab)
My Lords, there is a very real danger of the fragile ceasefire in
Idlib breaking down, not least because Turkey has not met its
commitments to demobilise al-Nusra and other jihadi groups in
Idlib still pledging allegiance to al-Qaeda. Can the Minister
confirm that allied forces occasionally bombarded schools and
medical facilities in the retaking of Mosul and Raqqa because
ISIL was using them for military purposes? Can he also confirm
that jihadi groups continue to abuse the protected status of
hospitals to use them for storing ammunition and weapons and as
command and control centres?
As the noble Lord is aware, our Government—and I from the
Dispatch Box—have repeatedly condemned the actions of these
terrorist groups. In that part of the region, in both Syria and
Iraq, Daesh is an appalling and disgusting organisation and we
stand firm with our coalition partners to defeat it. However, the
noble Lord is right: it continues to operate in the region, so we
will work with international partners to do what we can to
eradicate it from that part of the world.
The Lord Speaker ()
The noble Baroness, Lady Stroud, is not here. The noble Baroness,
Lady Northover.
(LD)
What realistic assessment has been made of the incidence of the
coronavirus in Idlib and in Syria as a whole, and how can testing
be increased? Does the Minister agree that an urgent,
comprehensive and co-ordinated emergency response plan is now
required?
My Lords, if I heard the noble Baroness correctly, I stand with
her in condemning the actions taken by different groups on all
sides on the ground, which have caused great suffering to people
in Syria. We continue to work to alleviate the human suffering
there. I share with the noble Baroness that because of the
fragile ceasefire, there is a glimmer of hope—35,000 people have
returned to the region—but we also continue to investigate,
including with the OPCW, events that have taken place in the
past, including the 2017 attack. Again, I reassure the noble
Baroness that anyone responsible should be held to account by the
international community.
(Con)
My Lords, as the third wave of Syrian political talks has been
postponed because of Covid-19, and there is no practical aid
route from Damascus to Idlib, will the Government support the
extension of cross-border aid routes into north-western Syria
from Turkey under Resolution 2504, which is currently due to end
on 10 July?
I assure my noble friend that we are at the forefront of this
issue. The Foreign Secretary and I, as Minister to the United
Nations, have made it clear that we need these humanitarian
corridors and they need to be kept open. We have been
disappointed by other partners on the Security Council who have
sought to close down these routes. However, we will work to
ensure that the humanitarian corridors currently open stay open,
and we can mandate further routes to open under the UN.
(CB)
My Lords, does it not augur badly for Idlib if Turkey’s
indifference to continued killings in Afrin is repeated in Idlib?
It illegally occupied Afrin two years ago, and in the last 48
hours a further 50 people, including 11 children, have been
killed. If there is to be lasting peace in Idlib—I welcome what
the Minister said a few moments ago about holding people to
account for things they have done—should we not be doing more to
hold a NATO country to account for illegal occupation, the aerial
bombardment of civilians, the displacement of hundreds of
thousands of refugees and a total disregard for the very values
on which NATO itself was founded?
I assure the noble Lord, in commending his efforts on the ground
and on raising this issue consistently, that we continue to raise
with all partners, including those within the NATO alliance, such
as Turkey, their obligations as members of NATO. However, I stand
by what I said: those who have committed any crimes and
atrocities should be held to account.
(Lab)
My Lords, it seems that the Russians were helpful in at least one
respect: bringing about a ceasefire. However, what efforts are
our Government making to work with Russia to help prevent this
disastrous outbreak of Covid-19?
The noble Lord is right to raise this. The Covid-19 pandemic
around the world has shown the interdependency of states across
the piece. We are working multilaterally to ensure that anyone,
wherever they are in the world, benefits from what we hope will
be a solution found through a vaccine. In the interim, we are
providing humanitarian aid. I am proud that we have already given
£744 million of aid for these causes, including to organisations
such as the World Health Organization. We will continue to work
with Russia, as we have previously, through the UN and
particularly on the Security Council, to see how we can work
together to find lasting peace in Syria.
(LD)
My Lords, the international aid that has been offered is clearly
welcome. However, given that the health infrastructure in Idlib
has been so badly damaged, will the Government do more to hold
the Syrian Government to account for the attacks on the health
facilities and make sure that they are indeed held accountable
under international law?
The noble Baroness is right to raise this issue. We have
condemned the offensive by Syria in Idlib, supported in part by
Russia. At the beginning of the year there were flagrant
violations of international law by Syria that lacked basic human
decency. We hold the Syrian regime to account. It has been
responsible for using chemical weapons on its own population, and
that is why we do not believe that President Assad should be part
of any future solution, although ultimately that will be a
decision for the Syrian people.
The Lord Speaker ()
I call the noble Baroness, Lady Cox. We cannot hear her, so will
move on to the noble Lord, ,
(Lab)
Perhaps I may press the Minister more strongly on Resolution
2504. All NGOs are really concerned about the routes providing
access to Idlib, so what will he be doing before the July
deadline to ensure that we get other allies and P5 members to
support greater humanitarian access?
As the noble Lord will be aware, we were really disappointed that
Russia and China vetoed that humanitarian Security Council
resolution, which had provided cross-border life-saving measures
for many people in Syria. We are currently working with partners
in the P5 as well as the other members of the Security Council to
ensure that we get a resolution that works and which, most
importantly, retains and opens further corridors for humanitarian
relief on the ground to allow the NGOs, which do an incredible
job, increased access.
(Con)
My Lords, at least three armies are fighting over Idlib and,
tragically, reducing the whole place to rubble. Of course, there
is a ceasefire between Turkey and Russia, but that might not last
very long. Does my noble friend agree that we will soon have to
decide whether to back our, admittedly rather tricky, NATO
partner, Turkey, or whether to let the Russia-plus-Assad side
prevail, with hideous refugee consequences?
Ultimately, my noble friend is correct to raise that issue. As we
would all agree, the conflict has gone on for far too long, and
it is important that all sides stand by the Geneva process. There
has been a briefing to the Security Council by the new envoy, Mr
Pedersen, and it is important that all sides—whether Russia,
Turkey or anyone else, including the current regime in Syria—come
to the talks in Geneva to find a lasting peace for that country.
This conflict has gone on for far too long and it must end now.
