§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have been made to arrangements for the control of exports of arms and military equipment to Argentina. [64966]
§ Mr. Tony LloydSince 3 April 1982 the UK has maintained a national arms embargo on Argentina. It has been the policy of the UK to deny all applications for licences to export goods specified in Part III of Schedule I to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, commonly722W known as the Military List. We have decided to replace this embargo with new arrangements, with immediate effect.
Licences will only be granted for exports that we are satisfied would not, now or in the foreseeable future, put at risk the security of our Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic or our forces operating there. We will assess all applications for licences to export goods to Argentina on a case-by-case basis against our national export licensing criteria and those in the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports. This will also be the case with applications for advance approvals for promotion prior to formal application for an export licence.