Syria: Druze Community

Private Notice Question

11:52:00

Asked by

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the situation in Syria, and in particular the impact of recent events upon the Druze community and the wider Middle East.

My Lords, I beg leave to ask a Question of which I have given private notice. In doing so, I draw attention to my entry in the register as chair of the International Communities Organisation’s advisory board and adviser to the Arab Ambassadors Council.

My Lords, the Government are deeply concerned by the recent violence in southern Syria and welcome the announcement yesterday of a ceasefire. We want to see civilians protected and the ceasefire upheld, with those responsible for violence held to account. These events risk destabilising Syria and its fragile political transition. We have been clear that Syria’s sovereignty must be respected and that the Syrian Government must protect the rights of all civilians.

My Lords, I thank the Minister, and I know how much she has been personally engaged in the region, particularly on the humanitarian elements of the ongoing and wider conflict. That is where I wish to focus my supplementary question. What assessment has she made of the impact on the minority communities specifically in the areas that I know she is looking at very closely, not just in Syria but across the region? This morning, we have heard of further escalations in southern Syria by Israel. This, of course, impacts those who are most vulnerable: women, children and minorities. I seek the Minister’s reassurance that that is a specific focus and priority for His Majesty’s Government.

I am very happy to confirm that. These actions are destabilising and present great risk to the fragile, emerging peace that we hope can hold. There is a ceasefire from 3 am this morning; we welcome that and commend all those involved in bringing that about. But this is a very precarious situation we now find ourselves in. We are involved with the provision of humanitarian support. I have met many Syrians who are refugees in the region. I understand their wish to return and their concerns about doing so. We are working to support them directly and also to support Governments in the region who have a role to play in supporting Syria as it goes through this very difficult period.

My Lords, I commend the Arab and Turkish efforts in the most immediate ceasefire, and I agree with the most recent comments of Secretary of State Rubio from the United States. Are we co-ordinating with all three of those parties with regard to this? The Minister will recall that, when in Grand Committee we debated the wider exceptions to the sanctions on Syria, I voiced a degree of caution with regard to the UK lifting our sanctions in a very broad way, primarily because of the continuing sectarian violence, the conflict and the lack of territorial integrity that the Minister referred to. Can the Minister reassure the House that the UK is not providing funds or capability to any parts of the military of the Syrian Government that are currently, in effect, part of a belligerent force?

I welcomed the noble Lord’s concerns at the time; he was right to raise them. We were at the forefront of lifting sanctions at that point. I still think that was the right decision, because in order to get the stability and security that Syria needs and that we all want to see, it is important that the Government of Syria are able to do what is necessary to rebuild the economy there and support the strengthening of the state. That was the right decision at that point but, clearly, we keep all these issues under very close review. I confirm to the noble Lord that we work as closely as possible with our international partners, because, as he suggests, the stability of Syria is so important to the entire region.

My Lords, I welcome what my noble friend the Minister has said, including on sanctions, and emphasise what she has also indicated, that this is a very complex situation. The portrayal of the Syrian conflict by the noble Lord, Lord Cameron, when he was Prime Minister, as being between an evil dictator, which Assad was, and the people, was too simplistic. This is a divided society with all sorts of divisions and proxies—Sunni proxies and Shia proxies—and Turkey playing a distinct and sometimes malevolent role. Therefore, this needs to be approached in a very careful way, which I hope she will do.

I completely agree with my noble friend. He has been following these events and has himself been involved at various points over the years. With regard to what he said about Assad, we were all glad to see him go. We now face a situation where a nascent Government have formed a Cabinet that is pluralistic; we welcome that, but we need a Government who are properly representative of Syria. They need to be able to strengthen their provision of public services to achieve security for their population. To do that, they need their population to return, and we are helping with that as well. There is a great deal to do. My noble friend’s point about the complexity, and the long-term commitments that will be required to ensure the future for Syria that we all want, is a point very well made.

My Lords, the Minister will have seen the recent reports of the murder of 25 believers who were assembled in a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus. She will know also about the shocking reports of the rape and violence perpetrated against Alawite women. Can she tell us anything further about her reference to holding to account those responsible for these depredations? How will that be done? Does she agree that the treatment of minorities and vulnerable people is a real test of whether a country can call itself both civilised and one that the rest of the world can do business with?

It is completely wrong in any context for somebody to be harmed or persecuted purely on the basis of what they happen to believe. When the Foreign Secretary was in Damascus recently speaking to the Government of Syria and the President, he expressed our concern about the persecution of religious minorities and offered our support in any way that can be helpful in making sure that, whatever religion or background you have in Syria, you are able to be part of society and part of the leadership of the country as it goes forward.

My Lords, as the Minister said, we are clear that de-escalation and stability have to be an urgent and immediate priority for all those involved. The Syrian Government are in the early stages of establishing themselves following the collapse of the Assad regime. It is vital that we facilitate the development of a stable, democratic and peaceful regime in Syria. Following on from what the noble Lord, Lord Alton, was saying about holding to account, can the Minister tell the House what steps His Majesty’s Government are taking to ensure accountability for crimes committed under the Assad regime?

We are working very closely with actors on the ground, not least civil society organisations, and support all the things that need to be done in order to achieve accountability. That does matter. I thank the noble Lord opposite for the cross-party nature of our position on this. That is incredibly helpful and something that I hope can continue.

My Lords, watching the scenes as they unfold in Syria, I suggest that it is important that we provide support and solidarity to underpin the very fragile democracy that is now in place there. Will the Minister comment on the possibility of the UK Government working with other countries within the G7 to establish an international fund to underpin that democracy, rebuild human relationships and reconciliation and address famine and starvation in Syria and the wider Middle East?

It is vital that the international community comes together to support emerging stability in Syria. We are very willing to do that, and we are engaged in that process, but we need to support the Governments of countries that have been supporting Syrians away from their home for very many years now, at great cost to themselves and with great pressure, sometimes, on their societies. Jordan has done a huge amount over very many years. We work closely with the Government of Jordan. This truly is a moment when the international community, beyond some of the usual actors, needs to come together, co-ordinate and make sure that we do everything we possibly can to secure the future of Syria.

My Lords, what assessment do the Government make of continuing Russian involvement in Syria post the fall of the Assad regime? Will they work with partners to ensure that Russia is unable to exploit this current crisis to spread further its malign and destabilising influence?

That is a very good question, and it is very important. We are deeply concerned at the attempts of external actors to exploit instability, spread misinformation and destabilise the situation in Syria. It is something that we need to be mindful of. We need to take steps as and when we can, and we do. We are working with the Government of Syria to ensure that those sorts of issues are not able to have the impact that those who do not wish to see a strong Syria would wish.

Many of us were seriously concerned yesterday to hear about the military attack on the national hospital in Suwayda. As we all know, the Druze minority is to be found in the Suwayda province. Is the Minister persuaded that this ceasefire is holding? Is it now possible to restore electricity and water to that hospital and open humanitarian corridors to allow safe and secure passage for civilians?

In order to achieve the last two things that the noble Lord advocated, we need that ceasefire to hold. It is very early in the ceasefire; it is only a matter of hours. We will do whatever we need to do to encourage that to happen, but it is vital that that ceasefire continues. As many noble Lords have said, there are several international actors involved in brokering this; we commend them, we will support them and we will do whatever we can to play our part to ensure that peace can continue.

My Lords, the Minister and the noble Lords, Lord Ahmad and Lord Alton, are right to draw attention to the threat posed to minority communities in Syria. In addition to the Christians and the Alawites, as mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Alton, members of the Druze community were killed in their hundreds this week. What practical steps can the UK and our international partners take to protect minority communities? In the absence of anybody else doing anything, is Israel not to be commended for protecting the Druze community in Syria?

One of Syria’s strengths is the richness and diversity of its population. I think the best thing that we can all do is to strengthen the Government of Syria and support them in their efforts to maintain peace. We are concerned at the actions of Israel, and we are not persuaded that they are conducive to bringing about peace and stability; they are destabilising, and we have made that view clear. From where we are now, as of 3 am this morning, what we want to see is an end to violence of all kinds, including that of other states, and the strengthening of stability and security in Syria. We think that is the right way to proceed.

My Lords, does the Minister recognise that the history of many centuries shows that Syria is crucial to the stability of not only its own country but the whole region, and that when there is instability in Syria, there is very often instability more widely? It surely behoves anyone within or outside Syria to avoid inflicting instability on a country that has just emerged from an appalling experience. Does the Minister believe that we have enough presence on the ground in Damascus to inform us clearly about what is going on and to talk with others who are working for stability in Syria to that end?

I agree with the noble Lord’s point of view. Do we have enough presence on the ground? My very sincere hope is that our presence there can grow, and I know that is what the noble Lord wishes to see. We want Syria and the UK to have the strongest possible relationship, because that is in the interests of both our countries. Having a fully-fledged diplomatic presence in Syria would be a wonderful thing for us to be able to do, I hope in the near future.