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Select committee: International Relations and Defence Committee

Minister for Middle East to give evidence on Yemen

Closed Opened 11 Jan 2019 Closed 5 Nov 2018

International Relations and Defence Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
The House of Lords International Relations Committee will hold a special evidence session on recent Yemen peace talks and the UK's response to the humanitarian crisis in the country.

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 11 January 2019.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently 6th Report - Yemen: giving peace a chance on 16 February 2019.

The government's response

Published 13 June 2019.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government "takes note" of the Committee's report and sets out an initial response, agreeing on the gravity of the humanitarian situation and the need for a political settlement while stating that it does "not accept" the Committee's assessment of its arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

  • On the humanitarian situation, it "agree[s]" that its gravity "must be acknowledged" and that the crisis "must be resolved and not simply mitigated". It cites £200 million of additional support for 2019/2020 and says it is "pushing for a political settlement".
  • On the UN Security Council, it says it "will continue" as penholder and, if talks stall, "will consider what more the Council can do" in consultation with other members. It adds that the pen is not a "magic wand".
  • On arms exports, it states: "We do not accept that we are 'narrowly on the wrong side of the law'". It describes its export controls as among the most robust in the world and says it will "continue to monitor the situation closely".
  • On the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism, it says it provides £1.3 million to UNVIM "this year" and "will continue to work with UNVIM" as the peace process progresses.

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Reports

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Reports

1 report