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Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Tebbit (Conservative). It was answered on Wednesday, 1 February 2017.

Syria: President al-Assad

Question

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that I agree with her very much that it is not for us to decide who should be the President of Syria? But surely, once we take the step of saying who should not be the President, we are in effect transgressing against that very good principle that she just set out.

Answer

My Lords, I said that President Assad has shown that he cannot be trusted. He has led to the deaths of something like 400,000 of

his own people, has put tens of thousands in detention— I have met some of those who have experienced torture at the hands of people there—and has failed to provide a secure future for his country without the air power of countries such as Iran and Russia. That is somebody whom we do not see as being capable of providing a political solution and providing peace. However, what we are doing, and continue to do, through the UN Geneva process is to provide the opportunity for the Syrians to decide this matter. Whatever our view is, it is for the Syrians to decide.

Secondary information

Type
Oral question
Reference
778 c1205 
Session
2016-17
Oral question type
Supplementary
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
Subjects
Elections Syria Peace negotiations
Link
View this Oral question on hansard.parliament.uk