Daniel Kawczynski – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2015-12-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect Libya from further infiltration by Daesh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are extremely concerned about the growing threat from extremist groups in Libya, including Daesh and groups affiliated with it. These groups pose a threat to the stability of Libya and the region, and potentially to the UK and our interests and citizens overseas. We are working closely with international partners to deepen our understanding of Daesh’s presence in North Africa, including in Libya, and to develop a comprehensive approach to defeat it. This includes working closely with Libya’s neighbours to enhance their ability to protect themselves against threats from terrorists in Libya, and prevent fighters and weapons being smuggled across the region. We are supporting UN-led efforts to establish a Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, which will be crucial in the long term to tackling the Daesh threat present in that country and across the region.

I joined international and regional Ministers at the Rome Conference on 13 December to underline our firm commitment to providing the new GNA with full political backing and technical, economic, security and counter-terrorism assistance, as requested.