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Al-Yamamah Arms Agreement

I am happy to accept the argument of a Government whom I support that the security interest was a serious consideration, not a way of getting round the OECD convention. However, I am terrified by the prospect of that convention—which I always gave the Government credit for signing, no doubt for the best of motives—being misinterpreted to the effect that it can be got round merely by saying ““security interests”” or ““foreign policy objectives””. I also fear that the fact that the case was suspended before it could be brought to a conclusion on its legal merits sends a message to companies that are trading with countries in which we have a ““strategic interest”” and might feel that it is easier to get away with bribery in those cases than in others.