HL Deb 16 December 2003 vol 655 cc133-4WA
Lord Berkeley

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have recently made any exemptions to the United Nations or European Union arms embargo on the Democratic Republic of Congo. [HL414]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

Following consultations with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry issued a licence for the export to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of body armour and military helmets. This equipment will be used by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, who are part of the United Nations operation in the DRC.

UN Security Council Resolution (SCR) 1493(2003), adopted on 28 July 2003, implemented an embargo on the provision of arms and any related material to all armed groups operating in the east of the country. Operative Paragraph 21 of the SCR provides an exemption to the embargo for "supplies of non-lethal equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use…".