Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
3rd Report - Kurdish aspirations and the interests of the UK
HC 518
Published 11 February 2018
Foreign Affairs Committee Kurdish aspirations and the interests of the UK inquiry Report on parliament.uk ↗
At a glanceGovernment response published 20 April 2018
The government's response
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.
The government welcomes the Committee's report and responds to each recommendation, with agreement on some points on Iraq and a restated position on Syria, the PYD/YPG and Turkey.
- On facilitating dialogue between Baghdad and Erbil, it says "We agree" that the FCO has played an important role and should continue; it makes clear it is willing to facilitate discussion "should this be requested by both parties".
- On the Kurdistan Region, it says it is "concerned by the potential monopolisation of power and curtailment of democracy" and that it will "continue to, challenge them in these areas".
- On the PYD/YPG and PKK, it says it is "aware of ideological and organisational links", does not proscribe the PYD/YPG, and has "limited contact" with them and none with the PKK.
- On Syria, it says UK airstrikes supported the SDF against Daesh, with no weapons, funds or equipment provided, and it plans to "maintain this limited contact" with the PYD. Inclusion in the Geneva talks is for the UN Special Envoy to decide.
What the committee recommended
No recommendations or conclusions have been extracted from this report. This is normal for correspondence and for special reports.
Sources
- 3rd Report - Kurdish aspirations and the interests of the UK ↗The committee's report, HC 518, parliament.uk
- 6th Special Report - Kurdish aspirations and the interests of the UK: Government response to the Committee's Third Report ↗The government's response, 20 April 2018, parliament.uk