Posted on 10/13/2002 8:12:17 AM PDT by icantbleaveit
Outrage as Iraq views UK arms
Peace campaigners angered as Saddam's top brass
'rub shoulders' with British firms at weapons bazaar
Jason Burke, chief reporter
Sunday October 13, 2002
The Observer
A British Minister will lead a major sales drive by UK weapons
and military technology firms at an exhibition attended by
high-ranking Iraqi military officials this week.
The news has sparked outrage among arms control
campaigners and groups opposed to military action against Iraq.
'It is absurd that we are gearing up to fight a war against these
people and simultaneously rubbing shoulders with them at an
arms bazaar,' said Martin Hogbin of the Campaign Against Arms
Trade.
Around a dozen British firms will be displaying equipment such
as tanks, thermal imaging night sights and state-of-the-art air
defence missiles at the exhibition in Amman, Jordan. Machine
tools that could be used to produce weapons will also be on
show. The government-run Defence Export Services
Organisation will also have a stall.
Promotional material for the Sofex military fair boasts that
Saddam Hussein is sending an official delegation. Sultan
Hashim Ahmad, the Iraqi Defence Minister, attended the last
Sofex. Sudan, Syria, Libya and Iran - all listed as sponsors of
terrorism by the US State Department - are also expected to
attend.
'It's an appalling example of double standards. Where there is a
buck to be made, we're there,' said Andrew Bergen, spokesman
for the Stop the War Coalition, which campaigns against military
action against Iraq.
In the Eighties the UK and US supplied Iraq with millions of
pounds' worth of military equipment. Baghdad used British
companies to procure 'dual-use' machine tools to make
ammunition. Even though the UK had imposed an embargo on
'lethal equipment', the Conservative Government let the sales
proceed.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed last week that Lord Bach, the
Defence Procurement Minister, would be attending the fair.
'Sofex allows the UK defence industry to demonstrate its
product range to a number of potential overseas customers very
effectively,' said an MoD spokesman.
There is no suggestion that the British firms are doing anything
wrong. 'We exhibit there. The Government decides what we can
sell to whom,' said a spokesman for the American military
aviation giant Lockheed Martin, whose British arm is attending
the fair. Lockheed Martin makes the Longbow 'fire-and-forget'
and the Hellfire 2 anti-tank missiles. Both would be expected to
play a key role in any attack on Iraq.
Some senior industry figures, however, have expressed surprise
at the British presence. 'Are we there to show the Iraqis what we
are about to drop on them?' one asked. Exhibition organisers list
Raytheon, the American company which makes the long-range
Cruise missiles that experts predict would spearhead any US
bombardment of Iraq, among companies at the fair. Vickers, the
UK arms company which makes the Challenger, the Army's
main battle tank, will also be exhibiting.
Sales by British firms are carefully vetted, but other nations are
less rigorous. The Russian state arms export corporation,
Rosoboronexport, which will be at Sofex, provided Robert
Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe with 21,000 AK-47s and eight
attack helicopters.
A Romanian firm which offered banned anti-personnel mines for
sale at an arms fair in the UK three years ago, will exhibit, as
well as Vazovski, a Bulgarian company, which makes grenade
launchers, missile and anti-aircraft systems. Vazovski small
arms were shipped to Unita rebels with false 'end-user'
certificates in the late Nineties.
Britain has always had a tradition of military co-operation with
Jordan and the strong representation of UK companies at the fair
is being seen as an expression of support for the government of
King Abdullah. The Jordanian economy benefits hugely from
trade with Iraq. Any military operations will have a massive
impact in the kingdom.
The Middle East has long been a good market for British
weapons firms. According to recent Foreign Office figures, the
UK licensed arms exports worth £1.4 billion to the Middle East
and North Africa between January 1999 and December 2001.
From a US lab. That has already been established as fact there genius.
Earth to you....it was the US that established the "breeding ground." It started under Jimmy Carter and support for terrorists in Afghanistan was increased even more under Ronald Reagan who called the Mujaheden "the moral equivalent of our founding fathers."
This is why I have to laugh when people like you call me and anyone else who disagrees with Bush's foreign polcies "leftists."
This same canard is often trotted out when talking about gun control...."Well if you want the right not to be infringed, go ahead and carry your musket anywhere you wish.."
What "reality" has changed in the past 20 years? As recently as July of 2001, the BUSH administration gave 43 million in aid (10 million in cash) to the TALIBAN.
Selective reading. It was Carter who began support of the Mujahaden.
I only said you are siding with the leftists, because it is their constant refrain that it is all the fault of those evil corporations.
I think the reality is that you didn't have a better argument so you resorted to ad hominem (logical fallacy) rather than rebut the facts because I never blamed anything on "evil corporations."
What makes you think I'm not really interested in the truth???
Oh, yeah. And when did this happen? I must have missed that news bulletin.
Yeah, you must have. Perhaps you can explain why the FBI have been focusing their efforts on American scientists who worked within the DoD's bio-weapons program. It's becuase the Anthrax was determined to have come from within an American lab.
It's quite obvious by your sarcastic "rebuttal" of established fact. I provided a link up the thread. Here it is for you to read again since I'm quite sure you haven't followed the link I provided earlier.
The timing is irrelevant. The evidence and the truth are what is important. Yeah, the left will rely upon the same canards time and time again but even the left is prone to interventionist policies when it suits them.
You just haven't realized how much the world has changed since 9-11-01, my friend.
It hasn't changed at all. That is the point. Terrorism has existed since men banded together and eked out "civilized" societies.
I don't. Did you have any rebuttal to the facts that Paul laid out or is this your best shot?
You see yourself type that?
Yes, you do believe in your heart that only you and Ron Paul have any facts behind you.
Following your "logic", I would type any link to anyone's opinion on the subject then claim it as truth - trolling for takers to argue MY link.
No thanks. Troll for other narrow minded ones.
Uhhh....so you admit you have no factual rebuttal. Thanks.
I would certainly question why American corporations like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are in on this event in Jordan WHILE Hussein's folks are there. I know the article states that the UK arms of Lockheed is there, but all in all it IS an American-based company.
The second question is why is the US Government allowing LH and Raytheon do an exhibit for this event? Shouldn't national security come before defense industry profit?
I don't think that this war is about money and oil, but it's absolutely insane that American companies are considering selling to our enemies.
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