§ Mr. DawsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what goods on the Military List have recently been approved for export to Iraq. [74949]
§ Mr. MacShaneFollowing consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry recently approved a licence to export de-mining equipment to United Nations Office for Project Services in mine clearance operations in Northern Iraq. The export included an electronic hand held exploder that appears on the Military List. The conclusion that this export does not represent a proliferation threat has been reached after careful assessment.
The UN Iraq Sanctions Committee approved this export to Iraq under the Oil for Food programme (OFF). Under OFF Iraq is allowed to export unlimited quantities of oil to fund the purchase of humanitarian goods. The export is consistent with the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria.