 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
London (AFP) Feb 17, 2011 Britain said Thursday it was reviewing decisions to export arms to Bahrain after anti-government demonstrators were killed in clashes with security forces. "In light of events we are today formally reviewing recent licencing decisions for exports to Bahrain," said Alistair Burt, a junior foreign minister with responsibility for the Middle East. He warned that Britain would "urgently revoke licences if we judge that they are no longer in line with the criteria" used for the export of weapons. In a statement, the minister said a range of licences had been approved for Bahrain in the last nine months. "These include two single export licences for 250 tear gas cartridges to the Bahrain Defence Force and National Security Agency that were for trial/evaluation purposes." Another licence that had been approved concerns "equipment that can be used for riot control", Burt said. "The approval of these applications were judged to be consistent with the criteria at the time and followed precedents set by previous governments. As with all export licences for Bahrain, these are being urgently reviewed." Burt added: "We closely consider allegations of human rights abuses. We will not authorise any exports which, we assess, might provoke or prolong regional or internal conflicts, which might be used to facilitate internal repression, or which would in any other way be contrary to the criteria." The Bahraini army deployed across the capital Manama Thursday after three protesters were killed when riot police stormed through Pearl Square, the focus of pro-democracy protests. British Foreign Secretary William Hague earlier called on Bahrain's rulers to exercise restraint in dealing with the protests. In an apparent message to Iran, Hague also warned other nations not to meddle in the situation. "We would strongly oppose any interference in the affairs of Bahrain by other nations or any action to inflame sectarian tensions between Bahrain's Sunni and Shia communities," he said.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
BAE Systems swings back into profitLondon (AFP) Feb 17, 2011 British arms manufacturer BAE Systems said Thursday that it bounced back into the black in 2010, aided by deep cost-cutting, but warned about the impact of UK government defence budget cuts. Net profit hit Pounds 1.05 billion ($1.69 billion, 1.25 billion euros) last year, compared with a net loss of 67 million pounds in 2009, while revenues grew 1.8 percent to Pounds 22.39 billion, BAE said in a results ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
