That this House expresses its relief that relations between the Kurds in Iraq and the federal Government in Baghdad appear to be improving after the failed attempt to blockade and dissolve the Kurdistan Regional Government following its people's overwhelming support for the principle of negotiated independence in a referendum in September 2017; accepts that the process of forming a new Government has yet to be finalised but that the leading contender, Adel Abdul Mahdi, is a more emollient figure who fought alongside the Peshmerga against Saddam Hussein in the 1980s and resigned on principle when his plans for a sustainable deal between Erbil and Baghdad on oil and gas was rejected by the then Iraqi Prime Minister; hopes that he, the Kurds and others can implement the federal constitution that protects the rights of the Kurds which, if it had been done from its acceptance in an Iraqi referendum in 2005, would have forestalled a vote on independence; and wishes all well in finally moving towards a fully federal Iraq with a strong Kurdistan Regional Government.

That this House expresses its relief that relations between the Kurds in Iraq and the federal Government in Baghdad appear to be improving after the failed attempt to blockade and dissolve the Kurdistan Regional Government following its people's overwhelming support for the principle of negotiated independence in a referendum in...

That this House is outraged that the Iraqi Prime Minister has extended the five month blockade on international flights to and from the Kurdistan Region for at least another three months; recognises that this needless blockade is obstructing those who want to travel abroad for medical, family or commercial reasons and especially in the run up to Kurdish New Year, Newroz, on 21 March; further recognises that the Kurdistan Regional Government, in negotiations with Baghdad, is making it clear that it will comply with all its constitutional commitments; fears that the Iraqi Prime Minister is cultivating a strongman image merely to boost his support before the Iraqi elections in May 2018 rather than showing a statesmanlike attitude that can convince Kurds that they will have an honoured and equal place in Iraq according to the rights and responsibilities of the increasingly national federal constitution; and urges the UK Government to urgently redouble their efforts to persuade Baghdad to lift this blockade.

That this House is outraged that the Iraqi Prime Minister has extended the five month blockade on international flights to and from the Kurdistan Region for at least another three months; recognises that this needless blockade is obstructing those who want to travel abroad for medical, family or commercial reasons...

That this House notes with deep concern the proposed amendment to the Personal Status Law currently being debated in the Iraqi Parliament that could lower the legal marriage age to nine; believes that passage of this amendment would be a backwards step for Iraqi women and girls; is alarmed at the speed of proceedings despite significant opposition; further notes that this amendment would violate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iraq ratified in 1994; and urges the Government to make strong representations to its Iraqi counterparts against any legislative proposals that would weaken the rights of children and women in Iraq.

That this House notes with deep concern the proposed amendment to the Personal Status Law currently being debated in the Iraqi Parliament that could lower the legal marriage age to nine; believes that passage of this amendment would be a backwards step for Iraqi women and girls; is alarmed at...

That this House believes that the bravery and service of the personnel involved in Operation Shader should be recognised with a specific Operational Service Medal without delay; recognises that in doing their duty these men and women are protecting UK citizens from the threat of Daesh, as well as defending civilians in the region and around the world; and calls on the Secretary of State for Defence to support an Operational Service Medal for Operation Shader.

That this House believes that the bravery and service of the personnel involved in Operation Shader should be recognised with a specific Operational Service Medal without delay; recognises that in doing their duty these men and women are protecting UK citizens from the threat of Daesh, as well as defending...

That this House recognises the problem of toxic contamination of war zones; is concerned about the legacy of burn-pits on US bases which violated military environmental regulations; is gravely concerned about the effect of lead pollution on military personnel and civilians who resided close to unregulated burn-pits in Iraq and Afghanistan; notes research on this problem recently published by Dr Mozhgan Savabieasfahani; and calls on Government to take action to clean up areas polluted by allied military forces.

That this House recognises the problem of toxic contamination of war zones; is concerned about the legacy of burn-pits on US bases which violated military environmental regulations; is gravely concerned about the effect of lead pollution on military personnel and civilians who resided close to unregulated burn-pits in Iraq and...

That this House notes the vital role played by the Peshmerga in protecting the Kurdistan region in Iraq and in helping to liberate Mosul in due course, as has often been recognised by Ministers and the public; further notes that many thousands of Peshmerga have paid with their lives or suffered often horrific injuries in a fight which is vital to the UK's national interests; agrees with the recent report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Kurdistan Region in Iraq that deaths from treatable wounds can be reduced by providing mobile medical units, as well as the continued and increased transfer of expertise in demining, and that seriously wounded Peshmerga could recuperate in British hospitals; and urges the Government to discuss with the Kurdistan Regional Government how the UK can provide frontline medical facilities such as a field hospital or field surgical teams, as well as emulating the example of Germany and France in facilitating treatment for a few hundred injured Peshmerga at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham and elsewhere.

That this House notes the vital role played by the Peshmerga in protecting the Kurdistan region in Iraq and in helping to liberate Mosul in due course, as has often been recognised by Ministers and the public; further notes that many thousands of Peshmerga have paid with their lives or...

That this House recognises the long-term unresolved problem of toxic contamination of war zones, especially in Iraq; notes research on this problem recently presented by Dr Mozhgan Savabieasfahani to the University of Stavanger; is concerned about the lead pollution from burn-pits on US bases and from use of munitions and bullets; further notes the resolution agreed by the American Public Health Association in November 2015 that parties involved in military activities abroad have a post-conflict responsibility to clean up and decontaminate polluted areas; and calls on the Government to work with the US to take the necessary action to clean up areas polluted by the allied military forces and assist current generations in Iraq with remedial healthcare.

That this House recognises the long-term unresolved problem of toxic contamination of war zones, especially in Iraq; notes research on this problem recently presented by Dr Mozhgan Savabieasfahani to the University of Stavanger; is concerned about the lead pollution from burn-pits on US bases and from use of munitions and...

That this House recognises the long-term unresolved problem of toxic contamination of war zones, especially in Iraq; notes research on this problem recently presented by Dr Mozhgan Savabieasfahan to the University of Stavanger; is concerned about the lead pollution from burn-pits on US bases and from use of munitions and bullets; further notes the resolution agreed by American Public Health Association in November 2015 that parties involved in military activities abroad have a post-conflict responsibility to clean up and decontaminate polluted areas; and calls on the Government to work with the US to take the necessary action to clean up areas polluted by the allied military forces and assist current generations in Iraq with remedial health care.

That this House recognises the long-term unresolved problem of toxic contamination of war zones, especially in Iraq; notes research on this problem recently presented by Dr Mozhgan Savabieasfahan to the University of Stavanger; is concerned about the lead pollution from burn-pits on US bases and from use of munitions and...

That this House notes with concern the plight of displaced people in Iraq; further notes the Amnesty International report, Banished and Dispossessed: Forced Displacement and Deliberate Destruction in Northern lraq, and the UN Report on the Protection of Civilians in the Armed Conflict in Iraq: 1 May -31 October 2015, setting out the scale of the devastation; further notes that the UN has recorded at least 55,047 civilian casualties, including 18,802 deaths, between 1 January 2014 and 31 October 2015, from all parties; notes that over 3,206,736 people, including over one million school age girls and boys, have been displaced by the ongoing conflict in Iraq, the highest number and fastest rate in the world, leading to many people being left without housing, clean water and education; notes that this follows the destruction of infrastructure following the 2003 invasion of Iraq and serves as an objective lesson in the importance of a post-military plan; calls on the Government to do all it can to ensure that the Chilcot report is accurate and leads to action against those who have done wrong; and further calls on the Government to ensure that all its action in the region is focused on protecting human lives.

That this House notes with concern the plight of displaced people in Iraq; further notes the Amnesty International report, Banished and Dispossessed: Forced Displacement and Deliberate Destruction in Northern lraq, and the UN Report on the Protection of Civilians in the Armed Conflict in Iraq: 1 May -31 October 2015,...

That this House is appalled by the beheadings, crucifixions, shootings, burnings, other murders, torture, rape and extensive violence being perpetrated by Daesh or IS against Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq on the basis of religion and ethnicity; observes that this disgusting behaviour clearly falls within the definition of genocide as determined by the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide; notes the recent report from the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, Protection of Civilians in the Armed Conflict in Iraq, which concludes that Daesh is holding approximately 3,500 slaves, mostly women and children in Iraq, primarily from the Yazidi community, and describes Daesh's systematic and widespread violence as staggering, concluding that these acts amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly genocide; and calls on the Government to use all its influence at the UN to create a stated consensus that genocide is indeed being perpetrated so that the provisions of the Convention can urgently, legitimately and effectively be invoked and implemented.

That this House is appalled by the beheadings, crucifixions, shootings, burnings, other murders, torture, rape and extensive violence being perpetrated by Daesh or IS against Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq on the basis of religion and ethnicity; observes that this disgusting behaviour clearly falls within the definition...