Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Keith Simpson (Conservative). It was answered on Tuesday, 1 November 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Rafiq Hariri

Question: Sadly, from what the Foreign Secretary has just said, it is clear that the Syrians have a track record of refusing to comply either with bilateral or international pressure. It is obvious that the Syrians are not going to co-operate fully with the United Nations. Can the Foreign Secretary say why sanctions were not included in the most recent resolution, given that the Syrians appear only to move, very slightly, when they face the direct threat of action. Merely warning them again and again does not seem to produce any result whatsoever.

Answer: I understand the hon. Gentleman's scepticism about Syrian intentions. I do not think that it is to be taken for granted that Syria will not co-operate. The Syrians were profoundly shocked, I think, by the anger, and the unanimity of that anger, in the Security Council yesterday. On sanctions, resolutions inevitably depend on our gaining consensus so that the terms cannot be vetoed. What we were seeking, provided the terms were not watered down too much, was unanimity, so that Syria got a tough message from across the international community. Immediate sanctions were never in any of the drafts that the United Kingdom put forward, and I should be happy to share some of the earlier language with the hon. Gentleman if he is interested. There is, however, a clear undertaking to consider further action—in other words, sanctions—if Syria does not now co-operate, as it has not co-operated in the past.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 438 c717-8
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Foreign relations Syria Hariri, Rafik Inquiries Prime ministers UN resolutions Lebanon Assassination
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk