MPs urge UK govt. to review arms exports
Iran Press TV
Sun Jan 5, 2014 2:9PM GMT
Members of the British Parliament have called on the government to review its procedures for exporting arms following concerns that some weapons could fall into the wrong hands.
MPs on the UK's House of Commons Arms Export Controls Committee said the British government's Department for Business, Innovation and Skill (BIS) should address concerns at the volume of weapons exported,The Independent reported on Sunday.
The criticism came after it emerged that about 44,000 guns had been supplied to British security firms between April 2012 and June 2013, aimed at tackling piracy in East Africa and countries with poor human rights records.
According to the government's figures, 11,000 rifles, 2,536 pistols and 30,000 assault rifles were among those weapons exported over the 15-month period.
British lawmakers expressed fears that the guns could have ended up in the hands of the pirates or of repressive regimes.
The head of the Export Control Organisation at BIS, Edward Bell, agreed to 'do a bit more digging around' the issue.
However, British Labour MP Ann McKechin, who is a committee member, said it seems that "the department did not have a process of looking at the cumulative number of weapons and whether those exports fitted the scenario on the ground needed for protection."
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