Written question asked by Baroness Cox (Crossbench) on Monday, 14 December 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 30 December 2020. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Wednesday, 23 December 2020 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Syria: Sanctions

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the government of the United States' special representative for Syria engagement and special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, on 9 December, what discussions they have had with that government about whether its objectives in Syria include (1) the denial of territory, and (2) resources to, the government of Syria.

Answer: HMG regularly discusses the situation in Syria with the US administration. On 22 October the Foreign Secretary and US Secretary of State, along with foreign ministers of other likeminded countries, issued a joint statement that made clear our support for a political solution to end the conflict, as set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. That statement once again reaffirmed our shared position that such a solution must preserve the territorial integrity, unity, and sovereignty of Syria. We will continue to use targeted sanctions to increase pressure on the Assad regime to engage seriously with the political process.

Secondary information