(Lab): My
Lords, the conflict in Yemen is essentially conflict between
Saudi Arabia and Iran. I know that the Government are aware of
that. One of the problems is that the countries in the region are
unable to operate effectively against either party to get some
sort of agreement. Also, many of their friends outside the
region, including the UK and the US, are in a difficult position
because they are not seen as wholly independent. Sadly, the UN is
unable to be very effective here. I wonder whether the Government
have thought a bit outside the box. One of the countries on the
edge of the region which has great influence in the UN, and also
in peacekeeping operations, is India. Does it have any interest
in adding to the pressure on Iran and Saudi to basically back off
because the dangers of the spread of conflict are very great?
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon) (Con): On the issue of Yemen
specifically, the noble Lord is quite correct that the UK
continues to make representations. I am sure he will appreciate
that our focus—indeed, that of the Foreign Secretary—has been
working with countries in the immediate vicinity. For example,
the noble Lord may be aware that the Foreign Secretary hosted a
meeting of the quint—that is, the United Kingdom, the US, the
UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman—as well as the UN special envoy, which
took place a couple of weeks ago on 28 November. The noble Lord
mentioned the role of India. That is very much a question for
India to answer, but I note his constructive suggestion in that
regard.
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