Iraq army dependent on US defence sales, UK admits
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Apr 28, IRNA – The British government is supporting the country’s defence industry in bidding for new contracts in Iraq but admits that the country’s army has become reliant on US military supplies.
“It is the case that there is a clear Iraqi preference to make procurement for its Armed Forces through United States foreign military sales,” said Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said.
“ Indeed, you could say that they are rather dependent on a foreign military sales system because it is easier for them,” Mandelson told fellow peers in the House of Lords.
But speaking during a brief parliamentary debate on defence industry contracts for Iraq, he also insisted that Iraq was “making moves towards direct contracts with other countries.”
The issue was raised by the Conservative’s shadow defence minister Lord Astor, who claimed that despite Britain being a main coalition partner in Iraq, the government has “sat back and watched the Americans walk away with one of the biggest rearmament and rebuilding programmes ever seen, leaving us with virtually nothing.”
Mandelson insisted that although he appreciated the sentiments, the shadow minister was “slightly understating the presence and activity of UK representatives in this matter,” which included support for the defence industry from Trade and Investment staff and Britain’s defence attaché in Baghdad.
He said that he was also following up the possibility of Iraq being designated for state-backed guarantees for any defence contracts won by British companies, although he said there was “some resistance in view of the considerable risks involved.”
The Business Secretary also did not rule out the possibility of reinvolving former Iraqi interpretors for British troops, some of whom have been resettled in the UK, to assist smaller defence exporting companies, who have language and translation problems.
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