Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench) on Monday, 4 November 2019, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 November 2019. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Tuesday, 5 November 2019 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Syria: Ceasefires

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UN Secretary-General's appeal on 14 October for safe access for civilians in need in north-east Syria; and what assessment they have made of whether the ceasefire in that area (1) is being respected, and (2) will be fully supervised and made permanent.

Answer: We welcome the UN Secretary-General's statement on 14 October for safe access for civilians in need in north-east Syria. Our assessment is that the ceasefire in north-east Syria continues to broadly hold, and we welcome the fact that Turkey has confirmed it has no plans for a further offensive. Implementation of the ceasefire is for the parties directly involved but we have made clear our expectation that all parties abide by the agreed ceasefire, which we wish to see become permanent, and by their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL582
Session: 2019-19
Subjects: Armed conflict Humanitarian aid Turkey Syria Military intervention Ceasefires
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk