Davey quizzes Miliband on Yemen (Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats)

Davey quizzes Miliband on Yemen

January 9, 2010 11:16 AM

yemen map • [Jan 05] Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton, Liberal Democrat): ' . . WILL the Foreign Secretary reassure us that . . we are ensuring that local people are not inadvertently alienated by our actions and those of our allies? . . '

Of course the actions of the Foreign Office in Yemen in closing the embassy and working with our allies in Yemen and the United States enjoy support across the House, but will the Foreign Secretary reassure us that, in supporting action against al-Qaeda in Yemen and elsewhere in the region, we are ensuring that local people are not inadvertently alienated by our actions and those of our allies? In giving military support and aid to the Yemenis, and in developing the cross-departmental strategy to which the Foreign Secretary referred, are we impressing on the Yemeni Government the importance of avoiding civilian deaths and of building a sustainable coalition against al-Qaeda across the whole country?

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David Miliband (Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; South Shields, Labour): The hon. Gentleman makes an extremely good and important point, which is highly relevant, and let me say two things on that. First, there has been a very wide welcome across the Gulf, as well as within Yemen, for the fact that the London meeting will not be focused simply on counter-terrorism, because that might play into the sort of dangers to which he rightly refers. The incubus that is Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula must not become a rallying point for the people of Yemen, because they become the unwitting or unwilling victims of attempts to tackle the AQAP presence there.

Secondly, the hon. Gentleman is also absolutely right to insist that the economic, social and political issues at the heart of Yemen's development need to be addressed. I think that I am right to say that Yemen's oil wealth is likely to run out in 2015, and the dangers of water scarcity are very real. Those issues evidently are not amenable to a counter-terrorist solution, and require a much more deep-seated and effective role for government, supported by the international community. That is why the fourth priority that we mentioned-the functioning of the state-is so important to addressing those issues.

Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats: