"Business of violence breaks EU rules" says Liberal Democrat MEP.

11.56.03am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 14th Sep 2005

Baroness Sarah Ludford, Liberal Democrat MEP for London, is challenging Defence Secretary John Reid to explain how the arms fair currently being held in London's docklands respects the EU code of conduct on arms sales, at a time when Britain holds the EU Presidency.

More than 1,200 firms are exhibiting their wares at the Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEI) fair to delegations of 61 countries from around the world, including several with a record of human rights abuses. Sarah Ludford said:

"What an appalling example this sets in Europe and internationally, for our government to promote arms sales to dubious regimes by bringing them to a hard sell event! This fair is actually encouraging arms dealers to break EU rules."

"It even plays into the hands of terrorist sympathisers who accuse the West of hypocrisy. How can Blair talk about bringing peace and democracy to the Middle East, when repressive countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt are invited to purchase our shiniest and deadliest new weapons to oppress their citizens with?"

"Instead of giving defence industry lobbyists so much influence in Whitehall and £500 million a year of taxpayers' money to subsidise their business of violence, John Reid should be supporting MEPs' call for the EU ban in case of risk of repressive use to be legally binding."

Sarah Ludford added:

"It adds injury to insult that this fair will cost Londoners £4.5 million in policing costs, with over 1000 police per day. The Metropolitan Police are already under huge strain from the continuing terrorist threat; this can hardly be a worthwhile use of scarce resources."

Notes

The EU Code of Conduct for Conventional Arms Exports was agreed in 1998 by the Council of Ministers, and is a politically binding, but not legally binding, document. Criterion 3 of the Code says:

"Having assessed the recipient country's attitude towards relevant principles established by international human rights instruments, Member States will not issue an export license if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression."

The European Parliament passed its latest resolution calling for the Code of Conduct for Conventional Arms Exports to be legally binding (P6_TA(2004)0058) in November 2004.