Oxfam warning over arms sales - UK

[dArKeR]

The Government was accused of opening up a "dangerous loophole" allowing British arms manufacturers to sell to some of the most dangerous and repressive regimes in the world.


A report by the charity Oxfam warned that the defence industry was taking advantage of a relaxation in the controls on the export of weapons components, to get round international arms embargoes.


It said that parts made in the UK were reaching countries like Zimbabwe, Israel, Indonesia, Uganda, Colombia, Nepal and the Philippines, even though the sale of complete weapons systems to these countries is banned.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,1271,-3786715,00.html?=ticker

[Nihil]

1. Yep, truly a government of world peace

<snip>

It highlighted an eleven-fold increase under Labour in the number of
times that components have been licensed for export, from 1,600 in
1998 to 18,948 in 2002.

...

The biggest increase was said to have occurred in 2002 when Mr Straw
relaxed the controls on component sales so that British-made "head-up"
displays could be fitted to American F-16 fighter jets - being sold
to Israel.

...

The report accused the Government of putting the interests of the
defence industry ahead of concerns about human rights abuses.

<snip>

"We are not going to sell weapons to repressive regimes. We are just
going to send them out in flat-pack, self-assemble kit form instead."

Hypocritical bunch of bastards.

Nihil

[dArKeR]

2. Is the UK selling arms to Zimbabwe?

British defence manufacturers are using a "dangerous loophole" to peddle weapons to developing countries that are subject to arms embargos, the development charity Oxfam said on Wednesday.

In a report, Oxfam alleged that the British defence industry was taking advantage of a relaxation in controls on the export of weapons components to get round international arms embargoes -- a claim the government rejected.

Components made in Britain are reaching countries such as Zimbabwe, Israel, Indonesia, Uganda, Colombia, Nepal and the Philippines even though the sale of complete weapons systems to these countries is banned, it said.

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=31773