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Strategic Export Controls

I agree very much with the tributes paid to the Chairman of the Committees on strategic export controls, my hon. Friend the Member for Kingswood (Roger Berry), for the report that he has played a major role in producing. I also agree with the tributes paid to the staff of the Committees on strategic export controls—I still use the term the Quadripartite Committee; after years of speaking about something in one way, it is hard to change to a new form of language, but I shall try. We are a strange committee because of our structures and the way in which we have to make decisions, but if the Chairman is not aware yet, I am pleased to be able to tell him that the Liaison Committee this morning agreed to support the proposals to change our procedure and to make it easier for our committee to work. We have to produce our reports unanimously, and with four component parts, it is not always easy. However, it is relatively easy because of the good will shown by all members of the committee, which means that when we produce reports and recommendations, they are far more effective. I am pleased to say that in general, the Government have moved towards some of the recommendations from our reports over the years, but not sufficiently—before the Minister and his officials become too relaxed. In that context, I shall refer to another Government report, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights annual report 2007, which was published on Tuesday. One of the interesting features of that report is page 5, where it lists major countries of concern on human rights. Some, such as Burma and China, have already been mentioned in the debate, but Sri Lanka is not on the list, which is an interesting omission. Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories are also on the list. The full list includes a number of countries where the Government do not and have not sold arms at all, but it also includes a number of countries where we do. For the record, the full list is Afghanistan, Belarus, Burma, the People's Republic of China, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. The report says, however, that that is only a selection, and there are other countries—they are mentioned in the report—where there are human rights concerns. I am lobbied regularly about the situation in Colombia, and the human rights annual report specifically says:"““Colombia is a dangerous place to be a trade unionist.””" It also says that it is a country where many human rights issues need to be addressed, although it claims that the situation is improving. I should be grateful if the Minister in his reply at least clarified why there is still some level of arms exports, and military co-operation and co-operation with the authorities in Colombia. The Minister for the Middle East recently visited Colombia and was photographed with leading military figures in the country, so I should be grateful for clarification of the position of Her Majesty's Government on Colombia and the human rights issues there. Reference has already been made to China and I do not want to repeat what the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir John Stanley), my colleague on the Foreign Affairs Committee, has mentioned. It was mentioned in an intervention earlier that Chinese arms exports to Sudan are a matter of some concern, as are its arms exports to Zimbabwe. Given that both Sudan and Zimbabwe are on the list of major countries of concern on human rights, there is an indirect consequence. Therefore, the human rights dialogue that Britain and the European Union have with the Chinese should also focus on China's arms exports policy, as well as the wider issues of concern. I do not wish to make a long contribution today, although I am conscious that there are many points that we could address. The final country that I would like to flag up is one that the committee this year did not make any specific recommendations about. Nevertheless, it is on the list of countries of human rights concern. That country is Saudi Arabia. Clearly, there are certain issues that are currently highly topical relating to arms sales to Saudi Arabia 15 or 20 years ago; perhaps the chickens are coming home to roost. However, I want to focus on the present situation and ask for clarification from the Minister when he replies about the Government's attitude both to current arms sales policy regarding Saudi Arabia and to the human rights situation in that country, including how we see that situation developing in the future. This report and the Government response are very valuable. I must say, from discussions that I have had with parliamentarians in many other countries in the European Union and more widely, that there is a great deal of interest in the work that we have done in bringing about greater transparency and accountability in these areas. Indeed, some countries—my hon. Friend the Member for Kingswood knows this very well because he is involved in the discussions about it—are so impressed that they want members of our committee to visit them and give advice. I hope that we will be able to build on the work that we have done in recent years and consolidate it, so that we can become even more effective. I believe that the way in which the committee has worked is a model, not only in terms of our cross-party and cross-Committee contributions and joint working but in terms of reconciling the different interests that exist. Clearly, the Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee—that is another new name—and the International Development Committee might have members with slightly different interests with regard to issues relating to arms exports. Similarly, the Defence Committee might have a slightly different approach and perspective from those of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Nevertheless, we are able to unite to produce these reports and that is a great tribute to the members of the committee and to all those others who have made the committee's work possible.