Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) on Monday, 19 December 2011.

Iraq: Camp Ashraf

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the First Report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations pursuant to paragraph 6 of Council resolution 2001(2011) in relation to Camp Ashraf, published on 28 November, that ““it is essential that third countries indicate a willingness to receive camp residents for resettlement””; and what assistance they are giving to the Secretary-General to achieve this objective.

Answer: We fully support efforts by the United Nations to encourage the Government of Iraq and the leadership of Camp Ashraf to engage in meaningful and peaceful negotiation to resolve the future of the residents of Ashraf. The noble Lord will note that the First Report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations pursuant to paragraph 6 of Council resolution 2001 (2011) requests a ““willingness of third countries to receive camp residents deemed eligible for resettlement.”” A number of residents of Camp Ashraf with valid UK travel documents have recently left Camp Ashraf to return to the UK; however, we do not agree that wholesale resettlement in third countries of the residents of Camp Ashraf is a valid option.

Secondary information