10 February 2005
Rice Describes EU Arms Embargo Discussion as "Fruitful"
Secretary of State urges EU to take U.S. concerns "fully into consideration"
By Jeffrey Thomas
Washington File Staff Writer
As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited eight European capitals in early February, one of the major topics at each stop was the European Union's pledge during a December summit meeting with China to lift the arms embargo it imposed June 27, 1989, in response to the Chinese government's brutal repression of protestors calling for democratic and political reform.
In adopting the initial arms embargo, the European Council "condemned the brutal repression taking place in China" and "solemnly requested the Chinese authorities to put an end to the repressive actions against those who legitimately claim their democratic rights."
While the protests were widespread, the most infamous repression took place June 3-4 at Tiananmen Square, where the Chinese army is believed to have killed or injured hundreds of unarmed protestors. To date, no one has been held accountable for the large number of deaths. Some protesters are still imprisoned, sentenced on the basis of trials that did not meet international standards.
The United States responded to the 1989 Tiananmen massacre in tandem with the European Union, imposing restrictions on arms sales to China.
Before embarking on her first trip as secretary of state, Rice said in a February 1 interview with AFP and Reuters that lifting the arms embargo against China would "send the wrong signal about human rights."
In terms of China's current human rights situation, the serious human rights abuses that sparked the U.S. and EU embargoes continue, the United States believes. State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said recently, "We have not seen any change; in fact, we've seen some negative developments that lead us to think it's not the right time to withdraw the embargo."
The United States welcomes the developing partnership between the European Union (EU) and China, according to Rice. But while the United States supports and encourages European efforts to enhance these ties, it does not believe that lifting the embargo imposed in 1989 contributes to this goal.
Nor is lifting the China arms embargo in Europe's strategic interests, in the U.S. view. No current mechanisms exist to prevent China from transferring technology and lethal weaponry to other, less stable regions of the world, or to use it for the purposes of internal repression.
And ending the EU embargo would also have a negative impact on Asian regional stability, Rice has said at every opportunity.
The U.S. Congress has repeatedly expressed concern about this issue, and a recent House of Representatives version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) contained provisions that would preclude the Department of Defense from procuring defense articles or services from any "foreign person" who transfers defense items to China.
On February 2, the House by a vote of 411-3 passed a non-binding resolution urging the European Union to maintain its arms embargo on China and to close gaps in the current embargo, "in the national export control systems of EU member states, and in the EU's Code of Conduct on Arms Exports in order to prevent any future sale of arms or related technology to China."
European advocates of ending the embargo have pointed out that without the embargo, there could be some limits on sales of arms to China through the EU Code of Conduct.
But the EU Code of Conduct has not been sufficient and is not legally binding, according to U.S. officials, who say it has not deterred the sales of millions of euros of dangerous technology thus far.
The United States has said it would welcome EU efforts to improve the minimal export control standards contained in the Code of Conduct provided such improvements are made in a manner that continues to signal to China that human rights and relations with its neighbors do matter.
Throughout her trip, Rice has described the European allies as "open to our concerns."
On February 4 after meeting with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in London, Rice said she felt Europeans are listening, and "we are in a situation in which we are working to understand each other better and to see how we can move forward."
On February 9 in Brussels after a NATO meeting, Rice said an "open discussion" with the allies continued.
"I really have to underscore how much the Europeans have tried to take account of our concerns, how good our discussions have been about that," said Rice, adding: "I do not know where this will all come out, but I do hope that everyone understands, and I think by now everyone does understand, that the United States has very specific concerns about the lifting of the embargo."
She added, "We're having fruitful discussions with our European colleagues and I hope that they will come out in a way that is fruitful for both sides."
Briefing the press after meeting in Brussels February 9 with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Rice said both the United States and the EU "want to see a China that ... rises as a positive factor in international politics and in the international economy."
She added, "If there is an issue about the EU arms embargo with China, it too is understood in the context of a strategy that tries to get to a place where China is a positive influence in international politics."
"As I understand it, a decision has not yet been taken, but we will continue to work with our European allies and we will see where we come out," Rice said. "All that we can ask is that the European Union is aware of our concerns, understands them fully and takes them fully into consideration in any decision that is made."
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2005&m=February&x=200502101800591CJsamohT0.2950708&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
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