Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to address the political crisis in Syria before March 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are closely involved in international efforts to facilitate a political solution to the conflict in Syria. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) attended discussions convened by US Secretary Kerry in Vienna on 30 October, which may be the begining of a political process in Syria.

Foreign Ministers agreed to meet again within two weeks. The UK will fully support this process including by hosting ministerial or official-level meetings. We are supporting the moderate Syrian opposition to ensure they are represented in the political process. Through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, the Foreign Office is also providing a broad range of support to Syrians inside Syria on peace building, governance, human rights, and civil society issues.