EU arms exports threaten global security

international | anti-war / imperialism | press release Friday May 14, 2004 16:21 by AI - Amnesty International

Arms export controls in the expanded European Union are dangerously ineffective and stringent new regulations are urgently needed to protect human rights and safeguard people's security, Amnesty International said today.

"There is a dangerous complacency on the part of government that the arms trade is under control," said Colm Ó Cuanacháin, Secretary General of Amnesty's Irish Section.

EU arms, security equipment and services are contributing to grave human rights abuses and the scale of potential abuse is now enormous. The major EU arms exporting countries - France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom - account for one third of the world's arms deals. With ten new member states, the EU now has over 400 small arms companies in 23 countries - almost as many as the USA.

"Ireland's high-tech economy is playing an increasingly important role in the so-called -defence sector," said Ó Cuanacháin.

In a report based on research commissioned by the Irish Section released today: Undermining Global Security: the European Union's arms exports, Amnesty International highlights serious flaws in the EU's key arms control agreements, especially the 1998 EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports.

The report calls for a toughening and widening of the EU Code to prevent the irresponsible export of surplus arms, arms components and security equipment used for repression as well as licensed arms production in third countries, arms brokering and transporting of arms.

"The enlarged EU now has an opportunity to become a more coherent and effective international voice for positive change. But in order to do this, the EU must put its own house in order." said Ó Cuanacháin. The report identifies major weaknesses, omissions and loopholes in the existing EU arms export controls, including the cases of:

Leonid Minin:
In 1996, the arms broker and dealer Leonid Minin was listed as one of the shareholders of an Irish registered company, Limid Invest Ltd. It is not known what role the Irish registered company played in Leonid Minin's business activities but other companies controlled by him have been involved in a range of arms-brokering activities.


Balcombe Investments:
In 2002, the involvement of an Irish registered company with an international arms smuggling operation was reported. The company Balcombe Investments Limited reportedly owned the aircraft used by Renan Airways. In December 2000, a United Nations report mentioned suspicious dealings involving Renan Airways. A subsequent report on neighbouring UN-embargoed Liberia, confirmed those suspicions, identifying Renan Airways as having flown unauthorised cargos of arms from Moldova to Liberia by Minin have reportedly been involved in a range of arms brokering activities.


Other examples from across the EU include:

The involvement of an Italian joint venture company in the manufacture of vehicles used as mobile execution chambers in China.
Export of components from the UK to China for Chinese military aero engines despite an EU arms embargo on China.
A failure to control the huge "transit trade" of arms through the Netherlands allowing the export of armoured vehicles to Israel despite their use against civilians.
The transfer of Czech and Polish surplus weapons to governments such as Yemen with a history of diverting weapons to third countries.
Spanish satellite intelligence, military equipment and training have been promised to Colombia despite concerns that the Colombian government's polices are exacerbating the human rights disaster there.
The supply by a German technology company of surveillance equipment to Turkmenistan despite a history of the government there using such methods for political repression.
French helicopters and parts manufactured under licence in India, and delivered to Nepal where armed forces have used helicopters to shoot and kill civilians.
The EU has this year promised a complete review of its Code of Conduct on Arms Exports and a meeting today of the EU arms control committee COARM is the latest part of that process.

Amnesty International is concerned that the review will not be wide or deep enough to address the serious flaws that allow the abuse of human rights. The organization is also calling for the European Union to promote a legally binding global arms trade treaty to underpin a strengthened EU Code.