I said that it seemed to me "we might resort to the ballot after a Protracted Crisis, during which there had been a serious drain upon our military forces, and during which we had exhausted all other means of keeping them up to the necessary strength".

The Congo is still in the state of Protracted Crisis which has endured ever since it became independent last July.

Mr. Hurd: There has so far been no sign of genuine willingness on the part of the Soviet Union to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, which we regard as the key to a resolution of This Protracted Crisis.

During the periods of Protracted Crisis that hit the peace process, the PNA turned to the EU to give emergency assistance to alleviate the budgetary deficit caused by the economic stagnation in the west bank and Gaza.

Does it not seem odd, even to the Leader of the House, that there were Protracted Crisis talks last week but the House of Commons has not been informed of where we are, where we are going, what is going on, who said what and what the Government expect to happen?

As I explained, the humanitarian review is primarily focused on rapid onset emergencies, and it has therefore not looked at a Protracted Crisis such as that of the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria.

Faced with the growing and Protracted Crisis, to which there is no end in sight, we have three objectives: to promote a political solution in Syria, to help save lives and to protect the national security of the United Kingdom.

As the Foreign Secretary said yesterday in his statement to the House, faced with this growing and Protracted Crisis to which there is no end in sight, we have three objectives: to promote a political solution in Syria, which I again make very clear is the Government's overriding imperative; to help to save lives; and to protect the national security of the United Kingdom.

This rise in the number of refugees is part of a worrying global trend reflecting the complexity of Protracted Crisis situations with regional and cross-border dimensions and the quadrupling of overall humanitarian need over the past decade.

The United Nations assesses that the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is a Protracted Crisis with humanitarian consequences.

My right honourable friend the Development Secretary is heading the delegation and advancing priorities for a new approach to Protracted Crisis, a renewed commitment to the protection of civilians in conflict, a reformed humanitarian system, including smarter financing, and a stronger focus on protecting and empowering women and girls.