Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Monday, 13 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 March 2006. It was answered by Douglas Alexander (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 March 2006 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Venezuela

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) militarisation in Venezuela and (b) its impact on regional stability in Latin America.

Answer: We regularly monitor military developments in Venezuela, as elsewhere in the world.We continually assess patterns of military procurement that may affect regional stability across the world, including in Latin America. We monitor developments closely to better inform our own case-by-case consideration of UK export license applications against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria. We also hold discussions on global military procurement, as appropriate, with EU colleagues and other partners.

Secondary information