Arms Exports (Hansard, 23 January 2002)

§ The Minister for Trade (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)

Export licence applications for all countries are considered on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria announced by my right honourable friend the Minister for Europe on 26 October 2000 [HC 199–203W].

In addition, the statement of the then Minister of State my honourable friend the Member for Manchester Central of 10 July 1998 (HC 688) imposes restrictions on the issuing of licences to Pakistan and India for items listed on the nuclear suppliers group dual-use list. Items on the list will be denied to nuclear and nuclear-related end-users in India and Pakistan, as will all other goods to these end-users which could contribute to nuclear programmes.

My right honourable friend Peter Hain announced an exception to this statement on 3 July 2000 (3W). The exception is for equipment which would not normally require an export licence but is deemed licensable under the WMD end-use controls and where the initial concerns about WMD end-use are not subsequently substantiated.

UNSCR 1333, which imposed an embargo on the sale, supply and transfer of arms to the Territory of Afghanistan under Taliban control, expired on 19 January. UNSCR 1390 imposes an embargo on the supply, sale and transfer of arms and related material 207WA to Osama bin Laden, members of the Al' Qaeda organisation and the Taliban and other groups, individuals, undertakings and entities associated with them.

A full list of all the sanctions regimes and arms embargoes implemented by the UK can be found on the FCO website at (http://files.fco.gov.uk/und/ sanctions/list.pdf). A summary of additional UK-only restrictions on the export of strategic goods can be found at (http://files.fco.gov.uk/und/sanctions/ summary.pdf).