UK eases arms sanctions against Iraq
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Jan 12, IRNA
UK-Iraq-Arms Sanctions
The British government is dropping the requirement of export licences for the supply of arms and related materials to Iraq following last month's elections for a full-term government and parliament.
Announcing the easing of sanctions, Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells said the arms embargo in Iraq continues under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546 but with exemptions for military sales to the Government of Iraq (GOI) or the Multi-National Force (MNF).
Following a thorough review of its procedures, the UK government will consider as "exempt from the embargo exports to the GOI, the MNF, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, diplomatic missions in Iraq and entities contracted or subcontracted to the GOI or the MNF," he said.
"Export licence applications to these end-users will not therefore require the approval of the GOI or MNF prior to approval of the application," the minister responsible for the Middle East told MPs in a written parliamentary statement published Wednesday.
He said that for exports serving the purposes of UN Security Council Resolution 1546 to entities other than those above-listed, the British government will seek the approval of the GOI or MNF "to ensure that the proposed export is exempt from the embargo." In his statement, Howells also revealed that Britain will keep the GOI informed on a quarterly basis of all exports of military equipment to Iraq.
In spite of the growing violence in Iraq, British exports increased by 150 percent to pnd 79.3 million (USD 144m)in the first six months of last year, according to figures from the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), the government export body.
The level of UK exports to Iraq, however, remain dwarfed by US exports to the country, which were expected to hit Dlrs 1.5 bn for the whole of last year.
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