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As the West Sells the Arms............ by Saima Alvi 25 May 2002 19:41 UTC |
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"The Kashmir crisis is now potentially more dangerous than that in the Middle East. Yet the [British] government has imposed a de facto arms embargo on Israel while continuing to promote arms sales to India." Posted from THE GUARDIAN of May 24, 2002 http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,2763,721185,00.html Britain seeks to sell arms despite crisis ========================================= Richard Norton-Taylor Britain is still trying to profit from the Indian arms market, despite a growing threat of war with Pakistan and the government's official guidelines on weapons exports. Ministers have been pushing the sale of 60 Hawk jets worth £1bn. Earlier this year British companies, with official blessing, offered howitzers, anti-aircraft guns, missiles and tanks at a major arms fair in New Delhi. Whitehall said yesterday that Britain's policy on arms sales to India or Pakistan had not changed, though ministers are warning of the increasing likelihood of a military conflict between the two nuclear powers over Kashmir. Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, has warned that the Kashmir crisis is now potentially more dangerous than that in the Middle East. Yet the government has imposed a de facto arms embargo on Israel while continuing to promote arms sales to India. Guidelines announced in 1997 after Labour came to power state that the government "will not issue an export licence if there is a clearly identifiable risk that the intended recipient would use the proposed export aggressively against another country". They state that the government will also take into account the likelihood of armed conflict between the recipient and another country, and the threat to "regional stability". The prime minister, Tony Blair, warned India and Pakistan this week that military action "could plunge not just their countries into conflict, but the wider region, with implications for the whole world". The Hawk, produced by BAE Systems, can be used as a ground attack aircraft and would be used to train Indian pilots to fly fast jets, including Jaguar bombers. The Jaguar bombers, produced under licence are capable of being adapted to carry nuclear weapons, the Ministry of Defence admits. BAE Systems has sold Jaguar combat aircraft to India, but the MoD refuses to disclose details of the deals. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the deal was for 126 Jaguar aircraft. India is believed to be trying to upgrade their performance with Israeli help. Paul Eavis, director of the independent campaigning group Saferworld, said: "It is alarming that, under licence from a UK company, India is building Jaguar aircraft that are capable of delivering nuclear weapons." The government in 2000 granted nearly 700 export licences for a wide range of military equipment to India - a market traditionally dominated by Russia - in deals worth more than £64m. This was a big increase on the previous year, according to the latest official figures. Britain has sold fewer arms to Pakistan; export licences worth £6m were approved in 2000. The Foreign Office said yesterday that arms sales were considered "carefully" and were "under constant review".
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