Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help secure a lasting peace settlement in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Our goal remains a negotiated political settlement which delivers stability for all Syrians and a government with which we can work to tackle terrorists. The UK Government is clear that there can be no military solution to the Syrian conflict. Through our membership of the United Nations Security Council and as part of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) we are supporting the UN Special Envoy for Syria in facilitating peace negotiations between the Syrian parties on a process for political transition in Syria. These UN-led negotiations remain the best opportunity to end the conflict through political transition away from Asad to an inclusive government. We are also working to create the conditions for this by pushing hard for full and sustained humanitarian access in Syria, and working through the ISSG Task Forces in Geneva to maintain the Cessation of Hostilities.