Press Release
FAO Newsdesks - 21st June 2001
CAAT Insists upon Tough Measures in Strategic Export Bill
CAAT welcome the inclusion of a Strategic Export Bill in the Queen's Speech. However, several core measures must be included in the Export Control and Non-proliferation Bill to make the legislation effective. These include:
- More detailed information in the Strategic Exports Controls Annual Report. A minimum requirement would be details of the quantity of equipment exported and of the end-user in the recipient country. Moreover, details of training and technical assistance should be included in the report.
- The government should also be publishing details of overseas licensed production within the annual report.
- The UK to use its sovereign powers to impose unilateral arms embargoes (such as the US does) to express its disapproval of overseas government's human rights violations or territorial aggressions.
- Giving the government powers necessary to operate systematic and effective controls on the end-use of the equipment it has licensed for export.
Richard Bingley, Press Co-ordinator at CAAT, said:
"CAAT welcomes the government's Export Control Bill. However, with military list exports to areas of conflict (Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Colombia, Israel, Zimbabwe, and Morocco - to cite a few examples), the past four years witnessed a serious deficit between spoken policy and policy in practice. With CAAT's proposals included in the Bill, and implemented rigorously, the government will be progressing along way towards addressing this difference."
For more information please contact Richard Bingley on +44-(0)-20 7 281 0297 or 07947 230426
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