Cook rebuked over jet sales to RI<\/p>\n
LONDON (AFP): Foreign Secretary Robin Cook was accused
\nWednesday of plunging British arms export policy into confusion
\nafter allowing the sale of Hawk jets to Indonesia to go ahead.<\/p>\n
Shadow Foreign Secretary Michael Howard said Cook should have
\nmade a statement to parliament on the Labour government's stance
\non arms sales, which would allowing MPs to question him.<\/p>\n
Instead, the announcement had been \"smuggled out\" in a written
\nanswer, leaving members to speculate about the meaning of the new
\nguidelines restricting weapons exports.<\/p>\n
\"We now have the worst of all worlds -- the minimum of clarity
\nand the maximum of confusion,\" Howard told the House of Commons.<\/p>\n
In his announcement on Monday, Cook said export licenses would
\nnot be issued where there was \"a clearly identifiable risk\" that
\nequipment might be used for internal repression or external
\naggression.<\/p>\n
But he confirmed there would be no block on the sale of Hawk
\njets and armored cars to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The Foreign Office said it had found no evidence that Hawks
\nhave been used against separatist forces in East Timor, which
\nintegrated into Indonesia in 1975.<\/p>\n
But ministers now suggest the decision to allow the sale to go
\nahead should not be seen as a sign that new applications for
\nsimilar export licenses would be approved.<\/p>\n
The Foreign Office said that \"after legal advice it was
\ndecided that it was unrealistic and impractical to revoke export
\nlicenses granted before Labour's election victory\", Howard
\nrecalled.<\/p>\n
\"But they also said that the Hawk jet deal would be still seen
\nas acceptable under the new rules.\"<\/p>\n
He urged Cook to \"clear up the mess\" that he said Cook's
\nstatements had created.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cook-rebuked-over-jet-sales-to-ri-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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