Tuesday, 15 May 2007
UNA-UK SUBMITS EVIDENCE ON MIDDLE EAST TO FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

UNA-UK has submitted written evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons. The Committee, which scrutinises the work of the FCO, has chosen the situation in the Middle East as the first phase of its inquiry into global security.

This stage of the inquiry will investigate the situation in the wider Middle East, including Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran; the UK’s foreign policy relationship with the region; and the UK government’s engagement with the Islamic world.

UNA-UK argued for the importance of the UN’s role as a member of the diplomatic Quartet, facilitating multilateral discussions focusing on the political horizons of a future settlement between all regional actors. The submission outlined the UN’s work in the fields of peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and peacemaking, welcomed the Arab Peace Initiative and called on the UK Government to pursue the long-term aim of a nuclear-free zone within the Middle East.

For more information on this submission, please contact UNA-UK’s Campaigns and Education Officer, Mark Rusling on 020 7766 3459 or rusling (at) una.org.uk.