CHANNEL 4 NEWS
The government has been asked by a cross-party group to explain why there are licences in place for the export of arms, including assault rifles, snipers, ammunition and surveillence equipment, to oppressive regimes in the Middle East and North Africa
Following the Arab Spring the government conducted a “purge” of arms exports licences, revoking an “unprecedented” 158 arms export licences – proof, the report said, that the arms export system was flawed.
However, the Scrutiny of Arms Exports report by the Parliamentary Committee on Arms Export Controls (CAEC) shows that there are still 600 existing arms exports licences in place for the sale of goods including assault weapons, ammunition, and surveillence equipment, to Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen.
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Billions of arms to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, listed by the government as a “country of concern” over its human rights record, is by far the biggest customer for UK arms companies and the government has bolstered this with a large number of export licences. There are 288 licences in place for the export of arms and controlled goods to the kingdom. including for sniper rifles, machine guns, assault rifles and hand grenades.
The value of exports under existing standard military licences to Saudi Arabia as of September last year was £1.85bn. Figures from a Campaigns Against Arms Trade database of exports say that, in the last three months of 2011, arms and controlled goods exports to Saudi Arabia under UK government granted licences totalled just under £25m.
Other licences for Saudi Arabia included components for military vehicles, components for water cannons and weapon sights.
The report questioned the government’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and asked it to explain whether or not it “applies different or the same considerations in deciding whether or not to approve arms export licences to Saudi Arabia”.
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