§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on Government policy towards the export of arms to Turkey. [89836]
§ The Prime MinisterThe criteria to be used in considering licence application for the export of conventional arms was announced by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the House on 28 July 1997,Official Report, columns 26—30. The criteria and the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Sales, agreed during the UK Presidency of the EU in 1998, provide clear guidance. The Government's policy is clear: they will not issue an export licence if there is a clearly identifiable risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression or international aggression. All applications for exports to Turkey are considered on a case-by-case basis according to the criteria.