Question
British citizens Ryan Cornelius and his partner have now been detained for 18—nearly 19—years, without due process, by the United Arab Emirates. The reality is that the UAE supports a huge amount of terrorism in Sudan, where it is responsible for huge loss of life. To make matters worse, it has nominated Lana Nusseibeh of the UAE to be UN Secretary-General. Apart from demanding the release of Ryan Cornelius and his partner, will the hon. Gentleman condemn the UAE for its brutal involvement in Sudan, and block its nominee for Secretary-General, who should never be allowed to take over the UN?
Answer
As the right hon. Member knows, I take the case of Ryan Cornelius and Charles Ridley very seriously, as I do any of the other related cases. I have raised that case with the UAE at a high level, and I will continue to do so. Indeed, I have discussed it with our envoy, Alistair Burt, and I am very happy to discuss it further with him. On Sudan, as the right hon. Member knows, the international community, including this country, must do more to tackle that crisis. Yesterday, my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgend announced further sanctions against suspected perpetrators of sexual violence and other atrocities, including in El-Fasher. We continue to raise concerns with all the countries that are in any way involved in that conflict to urge them to de-escalate, stop arms supplies and bring peace to Sudan.
Verdict: RED (14/100)
The reply only partly addresses the first part of the question, about whether the Government will condemn the UAE over the Sudan conflict. It speaks in general terms about raising concerns with all countries involved and does not name the UAE or say whether it will condemn them. The second part, about Lana Nusseibeh's UN Secretary-General nomination and whether the Government would block it, is not addressed at all. The person who asked would likely need to submit a follow-up to get a clear answer on either point.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Government condemn the United Arab Emirates for its involvement in Sudan? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply never says whether the Government will condemn the UAE. It speaks generically of raising concerns with 'all the countries that are in any way involved' in the Sudan conflict and urging them to stop arms supplies, which engages with UAE involvement only by implication, and the sanctions announcement concerns suspected perpetrators rather than the UAE as a state. The UAE is not named in the Sudan answer, so the question is only partly answered. |
| Will the Government block the United Arab Emirates' nominee, Lana Nusseibeh, from becoming UN Secretary-General? | Not Addressed | Generic | Nothing in the reply mentions Lana Nusseibeh, the UN Secretary-General selection, or whether the Government would block her nomination; the statements instead concern the Cornelius and Ridley cases and Sudan sanctions. |