Philip Hammond on the MIddle East and Ukraine

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond writes:



I wanted to update you on the situations in Iraq, Gaza and Ukraine.

Although thousands of miles away, these events affect us all - and you can follow the British Government's response on the Prime Minister's Facebook page.

IRAQ

As David Cameron wrote yesterday, we are in the middle of a generational struggle against a poisonous and extremist ideology.

ISIL is an extremely dangerous terrorist movement, determined to expand its influence and control well beyond Iraq and Syria. It is a clear danger to Europe and to our security here in Britain.

So while we are not going to get involved in another war in Iraq, we will do everything we can to push ISIL back: helping the Kurds fighting against these extremists; working with the Iraqi Government; and using our political relationships, our aid and our military expertise to help the Americans and others who are taking direct military action against them.

And we will continue to help deal with the humanitarian crisis in the region, providing aid to those trapped on
Mount Sinjar and in refugee camps.

GAZA

We are calling on all parties to extend the current ceasefire and work towards a lasting peace.
The current negotiations are not easy. But there is no other viable option than a comprehensive negotiated solution that will allow both Israeli and Palestinian people to live in peace and security.

Ultimately, we must see a return to talks on a negotiated two-state solution, which remains the only way to resolve the conflict and end the human suffering it causes once and for all.

In the meantime, the UK has already contributed £17 million in emergency humanitarian assistance and deployed a world-class team of NHS medics to help those injured in the conflict.

UKRAINE

We are committed to Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
We condemn Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and reports of Russian military equipment crossing the border into Ukraine - and we have been at the forefront of EU measures to impose sanctions on Russia, including asset freezes, export restrictions and an arms embargo.

Events in all three areas are changing rapidly - so please follow the Prime Minister's Facebook page today to keep up to date with developments.

Yours,

Philip Hammond
Foreign Secretary

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