Since 2005 exports have been authorized millions of weapons to the Qaddafi regime
"What little pain now gives us the repression, but rather than sell them weapons"
Human Journalism
| Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco were also English customers in 2010 |
Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia. Spain has sold in recent years millions of euros on weapons and defense equipment to countries that now live democracy riots in the Middle East and North Africa. A riots are the result of years of repression political, police, military and have had their most recent chapter in end the bombing of civilians in Libya to contain opposition to Muammar Gaddafi.
Spain's government announced this week that cancel all sales transactions arms to Libya, but there is defense and police equipment manufactured in Spain since 2005, after the international community to lift the embargo on the regime of Gadhafi and resume the arms trade with their country.
Moreover, the English arms sale to Libya was fired after the visit of President Gaddafi to Madrid. Agreements were concluded in defense equipment valued at 1,500 million euros, according to a report from the U.S. Embassy filtering and published by Wikileaks 20minutes.
Only in the first half of 2010, Libya received by English companies military equipment aircraft worth 3.3 million euros. Libyan armed forces, according to official data, was spent in Spain almost 7 million euros and were waiting to be processed operations authorized by EUR 7 million.
"What can be link between the English material and helicopters and planes used to bomb Gaddafi's Libya? "It's almost impossible to prove because export reports are made public has not exactly what has been sold, but the type of material, vehicles, aircraft ... but we can not know exactly if they are grenades, gas masks, for example, Irene says Milleiro of Oxfam. "In any case," he pointed Armadans Jordi, Fundació per la Pau, "it is clear that the arms that Gaddafi is using comes from Europe."
In 2009, Libya was also one of the main destinations of dual use (military and police) made in Spain. More than 12 million euros in radar for navigation and civil air traffic control with maintenance spares, as well as chemicals for academic use, according to the official report. In 2006, Libya acquired from Spain arms worth 25,953 euros. In 2008, authorized the sale of 3 million euros in "grenade", the newspaper Public .
These operations were authorized by the Government of Spain despite law clearly specifies that is forbidden to export defense material to countries where "can be used in a manner contrary to due respect and dignity inherent in human, for purposes of internal repression. "
" What gives little pain repression, but rather then sell them weapons," said Jesus Nunez, director of the Institute of Studies on Conflicts and Humanitarian Action, one of the organizations of the Control Arms campaign.
Here are some other authorized exports to North Africa and Middle East in the first half of 2010, official data collected by the NGO coalition Control Arms:
The armament sector in Spain is not in crisis . During the first six months of last year were cleared exports worth over 1,600 million euros, up 33.3% over the same period last year. Over 80% of these sales were reached with companies or countries of the European Union or NATO. The rest were divided among 44 countries. Among them the lion's share in Malaysia (171 million euros, for a submarine), Venezuela (106 million euros, a surveillance ship of the coast) and Mexico (49.6 million euros, two military transport planes and parts to upgrade previously purchased aircraft).
addition to the countries that are now an extreme case of risk Spain has also sold arms in 2010 to countries whose reality does not fit the requirements under the law according to international human rights organizations, including Colombia, Pakistan, Iran or Taliandia.
For the U.S., according to the Control Arms campaign, "there is no assurance that the English arms can not be transferable to any of the numerous private security companies that perform support work for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Moreover, in many U.S. states are lax controls on private sales of guns. "
The Interministerial Commission that regulates trade in arms is not denied in the first half of 2010, no export of defense material, or riot gear, no weapons for hunting and shooting sports in North Africa.
By contrast, it was refused an operation of dual-use equipment to Iran, Pakistan and two to four to Yemen. In all cases it was chemicals, and the reason for denial was a "risk of diversion to production of weapons of mass destruction and denied the existence of other countries." ----------------------
Spain's government announced this week that cancel all sales transactions arms to Libya, but there is defense and police equipment manufactured in Spain since 2005, after the international community to lift the embargo on the regime of Gadhafi and resume the arms trade with their country.
Moreover, the English arms sale to Libya was fired after the visit of President Gaddafi to Madrid. Agreements were concluded in defense equipment valued at 1,500 million euros, according to a report from the U.S. Embassy filtering and published by Wikileaks 20minutes.
Only in the first half of 2010, Libya received by English companies military equipment aircraft worth 3.3 million euros. Libyan armed forces, according to official data, was spent in Spain almost 7 million euros and were waiting to be processed operations authorized by EUR 7 million.
"What can be link between the English material and helicopters and planes used to bomb Gaddafi's Libya? "It's almost impossible to prove because export reports are made public has not exactly what has been sold, but the type of material, vehicles, aircraft ... but we can not know exactly if they are grenades, gas masks, for example, Irene says Milleiro of Oxfam. "In any case," he pointed Armadans Jordi, Fundació per la Pau, "it is clear that the arms that Gaddafi is using comes from Europe."
In 2009, Libya was also one of the main destinations of dual use (military and police) made in Spain. More than 12 million euros in radar for navigation and civil air traffic control with maintenance spares, as well as chemicals for academic use, according to the official report. In 2006, Libya acquired from Spain arms worth 25,953 euros. In 2008, authorized the sale of 3 million euros in "grenade", the newspaper Public .
These operations were authorized by the Government of Spain despite law clearly specifies that is forbidden to export defense material to countries where "can be used in a manner contrary to due respect and dignity inherent in human, for purposes of internal repression. "
" What gives little pain repression, but rather then sell them weapons," said Jesus Nunez, director of the Institute of Studies on Conflicts and Humanitarian Action, one of the organizations of the Control Arms campaign.
Here are some other authorized exports to North Africa and Middle East in the first half of 2010, official data collected by the NGO coalition Control Arms:
- Algeria: EUR 528,068 under the category " aircraft. "
- Egypt exports were worth € 464,669 in bombs, torpedoes, rockets, missiles and aircraft material.
- Israel: the authorized operations amounted to 5.6 billion euros, including 3 million in land vehicles and 2.6 million aircraft.
- Morocco was the recipient of defense equipment worth 1.1 million euros.
- Tunisia: authorized exports totaling 778,480 euros in energy materials, while those made amounted to 778,480 euros for bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles. For this country also authorized the sale of hunting guns and shooting sports in the amount of 228,495 euros and sold in the same category shotgun shells for 171,952 euros.
- Saudi Arabia received
- defense equipment worth 1.5 million euros in the first half of 2010, between vehicles ground and aircraft. Still pending, although allowed, are sales amounting to 4.2 million euros.
The armament sector in Spain is not in crisis . During the first six months of last year were cleared exports worth over 1,600 million euros, up 33.3% over the same period last year. Over 80% of these sales were reached with companies or countries of the European Union or NATO. The rest were divided among 44 countries. Among them the lion's share in Malaysia (171 million euros, for a submarine), Venezuela (106 million euros, a surveillance ship of the coast) and Mexico (49.6 million euros, two military transport planes and parts to upgrade previously purchased aircraft).
addition to the countries that are now an extreme case of risk Spain has also sold arms in 2010 to countries whose reality does not fit the requirements under the law according to international human rights organizations, including Colombia, Pakistan, Iran or Taliandia.
For the U.S., according to the Control Arms campaign, "there is no assurance that the English arms can not be transferable to any of the numerous private security companies that perform support work for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Moreover, in many U.S. states are lax controls on private sales of guns. "
The Interministerial Commission that regulates trade in arms is not denied in the first half of 2010, no export of defense material, or riot gear, no weapons for hunting and shooting sports in North Africa.
By contrast, it was refused an operation of dual-use equipment to Iran, Pakistan and two to four to Yemen. In all cases it was chemicals, and the reason for denial was a "risk of diversion to production of weapons of mass destruction and denied the existence of other countries." ----------------------
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