British export of jets to Indonesia to go ahead<\/p>\n
LONDON (AFP): The British export of fighter jets to Indonesia
\nis to go ahead, it was reported yesterday, despite a warning from
\nLondon that arms supplies will be cut if Jakarta does not improve
\nits human rights record.<\/p>\n
Sixteen British Aerospace Hawk fighter planes will be exported
\nin a 160 million pound (US$250 million) deal in the face of
\npersistent allegations that Indonesia uses such jets against
\nopposition forces in East Timor, the Financial Times said.<\/p>\n
\"There is no evidence that the aircraft are being used in East
\nTimor,\" a senior British government member was quoted as saying.
\n\"Our intelligence on that is very clear.\"<\/p>\n
The FT also reported that the government had been warned there
\nwere \"formidable obstacles\" in the way of revoking the British
\nAerospace contract to supply the planes.<\/p>\n
The news, if confirmed, undermines Foreign Secretary Robin
\nCook's warning to Indonesia on Thursday to improve its record on
\nhuman rights if it wishes British arms exports to continue.<\/p>\n
In a keynote speech reiterating his commitment to place human
\nrights at the forefront of foreign policy -- to which end an arms
\ntrade review is underway -- Cook said: \"There will be changes
\nwith respect to a number of countries of which that (Indonesia)
\nis one.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia is a large purchaser of equipment and weapons from
\nBritain and like other countries it will be included in our arms
\nreview, and criteria that we adopt will be applied equitably.<\/p>\n
\"Britain will refuse to supply the equipment and weapons with
\nwhich regimes deny the demands of their peoples for human
\nrights.\"<\/p>\n
Asked specifically about the Hawk jets, Cook said: \"If we have
\nevidence that any particular weapons system -- of which that is
\none -- is being used for internal repression, we will not give an
\nexport license for it.\"<\/p>\n
His resolve to use arms sales as leverage to improve rights
\nwas less forceful than in his first policy address after Labour's
\nlandslide election victory in May, when he hinted at firmer and
\nswifter action.<\/p>\n
This time, he tempered it with a caveat against the \"error of
\nimagining that we have done our bit for human rights by refusing
\nto have anything to do with those countries with an
\nunsatisfactory performance on human rights.<\/p>\n
\"This may provide us with clean hands,\" he said. \"But it is
\nunlikely to provide their people with better rights. Some
\nregimes, such as Iraq, may simply be beyond rational persuasion.\"<\/p>\n
In remarks to reporters after his speech, Cook added: \"It is
\nin our interests that we reach an outcome in which we continue to
\nbe a leading arms exporter without conflicting with other very
\nimportant aspects of the British nation.<\/p>",
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