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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives he proposes to restrict the export of arms from the EU to the Great Lakes Region. [28971] Mr. Doug Henderson: A variety of initiatives exist to restrict the export of arms from the EU to the Great Lakes region. Arms exports to the Democratic Republic of the Congo are prohibited under an EU arms embargo imposed against the then Zairean regime in 1993. Arms exports to Rwanda are subject to a UN embargo imposed following the 1994 genocide. In 1995 this embargo was lifted in respect of the Government of Rwanda. Its restrictions still apply to arms exports to neighbouring countries, including Burundi, if that supply is for end use within Rwanda. All applications to export arms to the Great Lakes are scrutinised on a case by case basis. Under the arms export criteria announced by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 28 July 1997, Official Report, columns 26-29, we will not issue an export licence if there is a clearly identifiable risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression or international aggression. The need not to affect adversely regional stability, and the risk of the export being re-exported or diverted to an undesirable end-user, will also be taken into account.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

28971; 306 c324-5W

Session

1997-98

Subjects

Arms trade Exports EU action Weapons Sanctions EU external relations Democratic Republic of the Congo Rwanda Central Africa Burundi