David Cameron defends arms sales
Symon Hill reports
The prime minister has strongly defended his government’s role in the arms trade. His comments follow revelations that the UK authorities had authorised arms sales to a number of repressive regimes in the Middle East and north Africa, including Libya, Bahrain and Egypt (‘Arms and Egypt’, 18 February).
The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) drew attention to the presence of arms dealers in David Cameron’s delegation as he toured the region last week.
The prime minister hit back at CAAT while visiting Kuwait, saying ‘I simply don’t understand how you can’t understand how democracies have a right to defend themselves’. He insisted that companies such as BAE Systems ‘have a perfect right’ to be part of his visit.
CAAT’s Kaye Stearman told the Friend: ‘He talks about democracy and the right of self-defence but in reality is flogging arms to some of the world’s most authoritarian states and nastiest dictators’.
David Cameron argued that the UK has ‘very, very tough controls and very clear controls’ on arms exports. Kaye Stearman said, ‘It is nonsense for him to declare the UK has strict criteria for arms exports when supposedly ‘responsible’ governments use the same arms to suppress peaceful demonstrators’.
