§ Lord Gladwin of Cleeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there have been any recent exports of military listed equipment for end-use in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [HL1066]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Amos)Following consultations with this department and the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry issued an export licence for a water purification unit to Uruguay for the Uruguayan Armed Forces. The equipment will be used by the Uruguayan army in the DRC where it is part of the United Nations operation. The equipment will provide the Uruguayans with sufficient clean water for their troops operating in the DRC. As part of the United Nations Mission in Congo, these troops, along with other UN agencies and NGOs, will play a role in facilitating humanitarian assistance to the Congolese people. This decision is consistent with and does not affect the Government's continued support for the EU declaration of 7 April 1993 on arms exports to the DRC.