Newsgroup: it.politica
Titolo: Gran Bretagna arma regimi repressivi

(La bombardiamo la Gran Betagna? No? Be' io sono contro i bombardamenti, ma
dai bravi bombarols almeno una bombuccia....)
http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,99476,00.html
L'Inghilterra continua ad armare regimi repressivi
[ The Guardian ] Anche l'anno passato, la Gran Bretagna ha continuato a
vendere armi a paesi che non rispettano i diritti umani e questo nonostante
l'appello del governo circa la "dimensione etica" della politica estera. Il
rapporto annuale sulla vendita delle armi rivela che equipaggiamenti
militari sono stati venduti, tra l'altro, all'Indonesia, alla Turchia, alla
Cina, al Bahrain, all'Algeria e all'Arabia Saudita che rimane il primo
cliente per le armi britanniche.
Britain still arming repressive regimes
Weapons exports reach £2bn despite 'ethical foreign policy'
Richard Norton-Taylor
Thursday November 4, 1999
Britain last year continued to sell weapons to countries with poor human
rights records despite the government's pledge to bring an "ethical
dimension" to foreign policy, the annual report on arms sales published
yesterday shows.
The government approved export licences for a wide range of military
equipment to Indonesia, Turkey, China, Bahrain, and Algeria, as well as
Saudi Arabia, Britain's main arms customer.
The report shows nearly £2bn worth of weapons were exported by Britain last
year, including 38 armoured combat vehicles to Indonesia, 18 Tornado
aircraft, 100 air-to-ground missiles to Saudi Arabia, and over 400
air-launched missiles to the United Arab Emirates.
However, the figures do not include arms deliveries earlier this year -
including Hawk aircraft to Indonesia - and the categories of weapons
covering individual export licences are so broad that it is impossible to
know the precise nature and purpose of the equipment involved.
Of the 16 Hawks approved by the previous Conservative administration for
sale to Indonesia, nine have been supplied so far this year, with three
delivered in September.
Suggestions yesterday by Peter Hain, the foreign office minister, that the
Hawks could not be used for offensive purposes were challenged by Menzies
Campbell, the Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, and Carmel Budiardjo of
Tapol, the Indonesian human rights campaign. Robin Cook confirmed in
September that an Indonesian Hawk jet had made intimidatory flights over
East Timor.
Yesterday's report says the government approved over 10,000 arms export
licences in 1998 - an increase over the previous year. They included
individual licences for specific consignments and "open licences" for
multi-shipments of weapons granted without further reference to Whitehall.
Sixty-eight licences were granted for sales to Indonesia. Individual
licences covered body armour, combat aircraft components, and military
utility vehicles. No details are given for open-ended licences but they
include a single category covering cannons, howitzers, guns, and
flame-throwers.
British companies were given licences to export body armour, CS grenades and
submachine guns to Bahrain, where there is continuing unrest, and components
for combat aircraft and helicopters, and thermal imaging equipment to
Turkey, where counter-insurgency operations against Kurds continue.
Over 20% of licences granted cover small arms, light weapons and ammunition
to countries with internal conflicts, including Bahrain, Colombia, Kenya,
Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Light weapons are responsible for the vast majority
of deaths in armed conflict and their proliferation is acknowledged to
exacerbate civil conflict, banditry and crime.
A significant number of licences was approved for arms sales to Singapore
and Jordan. Saferworld, an independent research group, said yesterday the
two countries had in the past been a notorious transit route to Iraq and
Iran. Other countries likely to be transit destinations included the Channel
Islands, which received more licences for small arms than France - San
Marino, which imported British sub-machine guns, and the Bahamas which
imported heavy machine guns from Britain.
Other export licences covered jamming equipment and explosives for Algeria,
explosives and electronic equipment for China, and armoured personnel
carriers and assault rifles for Saudi Arabia.
Shortly after it came to power in May 1997, the government promised to block
arms exports if there was a "clearly identifiable risk [they] might be used
for internal repression". Yesterday's report laid the government open to the
charge that it was not honouring that pledge.
Oxfam's policy director, Justin Forsyth, said yesterday he was disappointed
that the report showed Britain was still exporting small arms, and ammuntion
to countries with serious human rights abuses, or were in conflict. He
pointed to the sale of small arms ammunition and sub machine guns to Kenya
and Sri Lanka, and of small arms, machine guns and assault rifles to
Zimbabwe.
Though the government is beginning to shed more light than most European
countries, the lack of transparency in the figures reflects continuing
disputes between Whitehall departments, notably between the foreign
office -which is pressing for more openness - and the department of trade
and industry and the ministry of defence.
It also falls far short of recommendations made by Sir Richard Scott in his
1995 report on the arms to Iraq affair.
Mr Campbell yesterday said the report was a step forward, but much more was
needed to satisfy the principles of transparency. He said the Queen's speech
should contain a strategic arms export bill.
Legislation should include controls on arms brokers, tighter controls over
the end-use of weapons and licences for the production of British-designed
weapons in third coutries. He also called for a Commons select committee to
review arms export policy.
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and of small arms, machine guns and assault rifles to Zimbabwe.
E questo contro chi combatte? Oppue anche qui seri abusi dei diritti
umani?
-Stefano

> -Ciao  Stefano, Per gli altri hai ragione, per l'Algeria no: immagina se
il governo algerino non avesse le armi per difendersi dagli islamici? Già
adesso.............
Ciao
Marco C.

 dai bravi bombarols almeno una bombuccia....)
nota che la GB ha firmato la convenzione contro la tortura nel 1988 (alla
faccia di Bobby Sands) e ha abolito la pena di morte il 21/1 di quest'anno
(ancora prevista per chi stuprava la regina o sue parenti).
La civiltà anglosassone è QUESTA.