MP questions G20 support for Iranian talks
Today in the House of Commons, during the Prime Minister’s Statement on the G20 summit, John Baron MP asked the PM as to the support within the G20 for extending any forthcoming peace talks on Syria to Iran.
John asked:
“The Prime Minister is right to talk of a political settlement but I urge him to go the extra diplomatic mile. It is precisely because we disagree with the Iranians, and that Iran is a participant in the conflict that we should be talking with them. Can he share with the House the extent to which the other members of the G20 shared our reluctance to engage?”
The Prime Minister said in response that he had made contact with the Iranians having written a letter to President Rouhani but that the ransacking of the British Embassy in Tehran could not be ignored.
John said afterwards:
“The storming of our Tehran Embassy broke all diplomatic norms. It cannot be shrugged off lightly. However, it must not block progress on the issue of Syria. The election of the moderate President Rouhani must be viewed as an opportunity.”
Ends
Word Count: 206
Date: 9th September 2013
Notes to Editors
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