Debate on Strategic Export Controls

Speech by Vincent Cable MP delivered to House of Commons - Westminster Hall on Thu 27th Mar 2003

Cable on the Heightened Awareness of Terrorism and its effect on Britain's Export Control System

Dr Vincent Cable, Liberal Democrat Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary

Dr Cable said, "A minor item caught my eye when I read the report-the details about British export licences for sales of armaments to the Channel Islands. I wondered what was going through officials' minds about such matters. To take a tick-box approach, there is no torture, no civil war between Guernsey and Jersey and no threat of military action. The area clearly passes all or most of the criteria.

Why, however, are the islands importing large numbers of sub-machine-guns, major components for combat aircraft and armoured cars? What are they doing with them? Sub-machine-guns are not needed for the Jersey flower festival, as the chances of being invaded by France are zero. Why is such action being taken?

The obvious common-sense explanation is that a process of evasion is taking place, either of the export control regime or of the financial arrangements governing money. At the very least, a certain amount of critical intelligence should be applied and questions should be asked about why such action is taking place. I accept that that is a minor example, but it is one of the problems in the system."

"There is a heightened awareness of terrorism, particularly the problems of rogue states, and how our export control system should adapt to deal with that situation. Instinctively, I should have thought that we should be heading for an environment that is more selective, restrictive and suspicious in the way that the hon. Gentleman implied. However, I have the sense-if I am wrong I am sure that the Minister will correct me-that, in practice, our system has become liberalised in some key respects. There are 18 countries-32 categories-that are now able to access arms from the UK in a less restrictive environment than used to be the case. I am talking about quite sophisticated kit: short-range missiles, air combat aircraft and tanks.

"Some of the countries involved would raise eyebrows in any circumstances. First, there are the former Soviet Union central Asian republics, such as Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Many of those countries-well, I think that there are only five in total-are still ruled by people who were installed by Brezhnev and who still operate their countries using the same principles that were used to run the former Soviet Union. Such regimes are wholly repressive and, in the long run, potentially rather unstable. Supplying arms to such countries, particularly in the present environment, seems questionable.

"Secondly, there is Pakistan. I appreciate the sensitivity of the issue and the importance of giving Pakistan's Government some support through aid, trade and other means. However, it seems dangerous to supply Pakistan's military forces, which have been heavily penetrated by extremists, with sophisticated military equipment. The same logic applies to Saudi Arabia.

"Is it the case that, since we became much more aware of the problems of terrorism, what seems to be liberalisation has indeed occurred? I reinforce the point made by the hon. Member for Brent, North about end use. The countries that have received British arms in the past few years include Yemen and Ukraine. Ukraine is notoriously and utterly corrupt and chaotic, in terms of its central Government, and has long been part of the Iraqi arms supply chain. Yet it has been receiving British military equipment. It is hardly surprising if such equipment ends up in Iraq and comparable countries.

"To give other Members an opportunity to reply, I will terminate my remarks shortly. I return to what seems to be the central issue. Although this debate is valuable and it is useful to go back through the records of what happened in years past, we need a more contemporaneous system of scrutiny. I hope that the Minister will respond positively to the suggestion of adopting, at least, an experimental system of prior scrutiny in the case of some of the major licence applications."