HL Deb 27 July 1999 vol 604 cc170-1WA
Lord Hacking

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the sanctions and arms embargoes currently implemented by the United Kingdom. [HL3916]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

As of today's date the United Kingdom implements Security Council resolutions which impose arms embargoes or wider sanctions regimes in relation to Angola, Iraq, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan and The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Government has also implemented an arms embargo on Ethiopia and Eritrea, called for in non-binding SCR 1227 (1998).

The United Kingdom implements additional sanctions imposed by the European Union on Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burma, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Croatia, The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Gambia, Libya and Sudan.

The UK currently implements two arms embargoes as a result of decisions by the OSCE—on Armenia and Azerbaijan.

There is also a national arms embargo on Iran.

I shall keep the House informed of current sanctions regimes and arms embargoes and their scope on a yearly basis. All new sanctions or arms embargoes and any amendments to existing sanctions or arms embargoes will be announced at the time. We shall be laying a list of sanctions regimes and arms embargoes implemented by the UK in the Libraries of the Houses. A Summary of Additional UK Restrictions on the Export of Strategic Goods, which includes details of additional national controls, will be annexed to this list. Both documents will shortly be available on the FCO website. These documents replace the Summary of Government Commitments Regarding the Application of Strategic Export Controls, copies of which are currently in the Libraries of the Houses and on the FCO website. An updated version of the sanctions list will be laid in the Library annually or more.