Arms debt irony
British government still claiming repayment from Argentina for money used to buy weapons in the Falklands War
The British government are still claiming repayment from Argentina for money that was borrowed to buy weapons that were later used in the invasion of the Falklands. The revelation has given an ironic twist to the thirtieth anniversary of the Falklands War.
It has come to light that the list of debts maintained by UK Export Finance – a unit of Vince Cable’s Department for Business – includes £45m from the Argentine government. The debt derives from a loan made in 1979 to Argentina’s then military government. The money was used to buy battleships and military helicopters.
The Jubilee Debt Campaign has uncovered documents that reveal the loan had been authorised by David Owen, the foreign secretary at the time. He wrote that there should not be ‘unreasonable constraints’ on arms exports.
A member of the house of lords questioned the loan but was told ‘the government takes into account the use to which the equipment may be put’. Jubilee Debt Campaign said that ‘exactly the same replies are received by arms campaigners today’.
The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) pointed out they had campaigned against arms sales to Argentina at the time. CAAT’s Ann Feltham told the Friend that the UK government ‘ignored human rights concerns and continued its promotion efforts right up until the Falklands invasion’.
The Argentine Federal Court ruled in 2000 that loans of this sort had been used by the junta as ‘a damaging economic policy… which tended to benefit and support private companies – national and foreign – to the detriment of society’.
UK Export Finance – formerly the Export Credit Guarantee Department – has long faced criticism from NGOs including Christian Aid and WWF for its financial support for arms, aviation and fossil fuels.
Jubilee Debt Campaign called on Vince Cable to audit all debts owed to UK Export Finance, a policy he supported when in opposition.
The Campaign’s director, Nick Dearden, told the Friend: ‘The government should use the Falklands anniversary not to wave flags, but to remember our own shameful role in arming atrocious regimes around the world and make some efforts at recompense – for the lives of British and Argentine soldiers lost.’
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