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There are a
number of myths, smoke-screens and excuses being circulated by
the Government and Spearhead Exhibitions Ltd, regarding DSEi
2003
** DSEi is a private
exhibition, the Government has very little to do with it.
DSEi may be run by a private exhibitions company, Spearhead
Exhibitions Ltd, but it is sponsored by the UK Government. The
Ministry of Defence is providing financial support amounting
to nearly half-a-million. It is also supplying, and paying
for, defence ministers and civil servants to attend, for
British military personnel to demonstrate equipment (on behalf
of the arms firms), and financing the visits of the UK
Government’s invited guests. The Government’s military
research and development arm, DSTL, is sole sponsor of the
conference at DSEi 2003. The UK taxpayer also has to pick up
the bill for more than £1 million of policing. DSEi is the
arms-length arms fair – the Government fully supports it, but
has put it at arms length because it is so controversial.
** There never was a secret
invite list.
For months Campaign Against Arms Trade, campaigners, MPs and
journalists have been contacting Spearhead Exhibitions Ltd
asking for a copy of the company’s invited guest list for DSEi
2003. Consistently, the company has refused to supply the
list, saying it is not in the public interest. On 28th August
2003 Alex Nicholl, director of operations at DSEi, wrote to
Jeremy Corbyn MP with the lie: ‘This year we have decided that
we will not host international delegations.’ The next day,
DSEi gave its list of invited international guests to defence
journalists at a lunch time meeting.
** Just because a country is
invited to DSEi doesn’t mean the UK would grant a license to
sell arms there.
This is an international arms exhibition, with nearly half
(around 500) of the firms attending coming from overseas. Many
of the weapons deals struck will have absolutely nothing to do
with British arms export licensing. Many exhibitors come from
countries which have very weak, if any, export licensing
criteria. At DSEi the UK Government is facilitating arms deals
that would breach its own criteria written into legislation in
the Export Control Act of July 2002.
** Exhibitors have been asked
not to bring cluster munitions.
There has been no official confirmation of this, but even if
arms firms do not bring these terrible weapons to the
exhibition itself, they can and will do deals regarding them
behind closed doors. If there has been a ban on exhibiting
cluster bombs, it shows how powerful the campaign against the
trade in these terrible weapons has been. But the campaign
must continue until their manufacture, sale and use is
completely banned.
** Sponsoring DSEi 2003 is
just part of the UK’s support for the British defence
industry.
Government backing for this exhibition is huge, contributing
over £1.5 million of taxpayers money to make sure it happens.
But because this is an international arms fair, that means the
UK Government is supporting the competitors of British arms
firms as well. If our Government was so worried about
protecting British jobs, wouldn’t they ban foreign firms from
exhibiting? Research has revealed that the UK Government
subsidises the British defence export industry to the tune of
£763 million a year – that’s £8,500 for each of the 90,000
jobs the arms export business. The amount of Export Credit
Guarantee Department support for arms exports is especially
disproportionate to Government support for other industries.
While the arms trade accounts for only 2% of UK exports, over
the past give years it has absorbed more than 30% of ECGD
support. This money could be better invested in industries
which do not have such terrible results.
** Syria won’t be attending
the arms fair.
Both the Government and Spearhead Exhibitions Ltd invited
delegates from ‘rogue nation’ Syria to shop for arms at DSEi
2003. They are now briefing that Syria has not accepted, or
will not attend. This should not detract from the fact that
they regarded Syria as a legitimate and welcome arms buyer on
UK soil. |