Press release

16/07/2008

NGOs say Government must act on Committee's call for significant changes to UK arms control

Today, Amnesty International UK and Saferworld welcomed the Committees on Arms Export Controls' call for tighter controls on UK arms brokers operating outside the UK and better regulation of the increasingly globalised defence industry. (1)

The Select Committee calls on the Government to use the current review of the export control legislation to close long-standing loopholes. Amnesty and Saferworld broadly endorses these recommendations, in particular the Committee's recommendations that:

- Extra-territorial controls on British brokers operating outside the UK be extended to cover all controlled goods, not just small arms and light weapons as proposed by the Government.

- A systematic military end-use regime be developed to prevent non-military goods being put to a military, police or security use that runs counter to the export controls (e.g. be used to commit human rights atrocities).

- Exports of supplies to offshore licensed production facilities or subsidiaries of UK companies should contain specific re-export clauses so that goods produced under license cannot be re-exported to an EU or UN embargoed destination.

- Civil penalties for breaches of export controls as an additional tool for effective enforcement.

"The Committee was right to say that the UK Government's current arms legislation fails to successfully manage the changing nature of the global arms trade. Certain military vehicles, aircraft and other equipment currently fall outside of Britain's controls, yet such weaponry has been used to commit terrible atrocities in places like Sudan, Burma and Uzbekistan." Oliver Sprague, Programme Director Arms Control, Amnesty International UK

The report, however, is weak in a number of areas.

Amnesty and Saferworld would have liked to have seen the Committee use stronger language on the potential risks arising from the EU Commission’s proposal for a Directive simplifying the terms and conditions of transfers of defence-related goods within the EU.

"The proposed Directive risks reducing the current EU transfer control regime to the lowest common denominator", says Claire Hickson, Head of Advocacy & Communications, Saferworld. "This raises the prospect of unscrupulous actors transferring defence-related products within the Community to those Member States with the least stringent controls. We oppose the introduction of this Directive until EU Member States have harmonised their export control regimes."

Furthermore, the Committee's recommendation on re-export also falls short. While preventing re-export to places under UN or EU embargo would be an improvement on the current system, many countries of concern are not covered by either UN or EU embargo. Until an enforceable international Arms Trade Treaty is in place, there is an overwhelming need for the UK Government to ensure that re-export of UK equipment is prevented to all contexts where goods might be used to prolong or exacerbate armed conflict or to abuse human rights.

"It's very positive that the committee has recommended tightening domestic arms controls", said Roy Isbister, Team Leader on Arms Transfer Controls, Saferworld, "but with an increasingly globalised arms industry, we urgently need an effective international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) if we are going to end irresponsible arms transfers. The UK Government must redouble its efforts to ensure agreement is reached on an ATT as quickly as possible."

ENDS

(1) The Committee of Arms Export Controls reviews Government policy on licensing arms exports and licensing decisions. The Committee consists of members from four Committees, which are: Business and Enterprise, Defence, Foreign Affairs and International Development.



For further information contact:

Jacqueline Macalesher, Small Arms and Transfer Controls, Saferworld, Tel: + 44 (0) 207 324 4662; jmacalesher@saferworld.org.uk

Eulette Ewart, Amnesty International UK, Tel: +44 (0)207 033 1552; Eulette.ewart@amnesty.org

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