• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

E.P. AGAIN URGES E.U. NOT TO LIFT ARMS SALES BAN ON CHINA

Central News Agency

2005-11-18 14:22:34

    Strasbourg, Nov. 17 (CNA) The European Parliament on Thursday again urged the European Union not to lift its arms sales ban on China.

    Several E.U. member states, including France, have tried hard to have the ban lifted. The ban was imposed by the E.U. shortly after the Tiannmen Square Massacre in 1989.

    In the resolution adopted at its current plenary session held earlier in the day on the E.U.'s need for stronger controls on arms exports, the European Parliament calls on the E.U. member states to agree on a list of countries to which arms exports should be banned because of their involvement in armed conflicts or their violation of human rights which bring about regional instability.

    The resolution also reiterates the parliament's "strong conviction that the embargo on China should not be lifted" until political freedom and the human rights situation in the country has clearly improved. It also requests that China should publicly discuss the matters related to the Tiannmen Square Massacre.

    In the resolution, the European Parliament particularly touches on the passage by China of the Anti-Secession Law targeting Taiwan in March of this year and expresses the concern that a lifting of the E.U. arms sales ban could increase instability in East Asia.

    The European lawmakers also request that China adopt concrete measures to improve its human rights situation; ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; allow the International Red Cross to visit prisons on China; reinforce its arms exports control; and respect the international treaty for the prevention of arms proliferation.

    Although the European Union has not yet made a final amendment to its Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, the European Parliament, however, demands in the resolution that the E.U. make the code legally binding on its member states as soon as possible.

(By Y.S. Lo and P.C.Tang)

Enditem/Li