Legal Challenge Launched
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CAAT200.qxd 29/01/2007 09:19 Page 1 CAATnews Legal challenge launched Issue 200 11 Goodwin Street, London N4 3HQ Feb–March 2007 Tel: 020 7281 0297 Fax: 020 7281 4369 £1.00 Email: [email protected] Website: www.caat.org.uk CAAT200.qxd 29/01/2007 09:19 Page 2 CAATnews IN THIS ISSUE... Editor Melanie Jarman [email protected] Legal Consultant Glen Reynolds Proofreader John Moseley Design Richie Andrew Contributors Kathryn Busby, Beccie D’Cunha, Ann Feltham, Symon Hill, Anna Jones, Ian Prichard, Tim Street. Thank you also to our dedicated team of CAATnews stuffers. Printed by Russell Press on 100% recycled paper using only post consumer de-inked waste. Copy deadline for the next issue is 19 March and we will be posting it the week beginning 2 April. Content of most website references See Tanya Tier interview on page 11 TANYA TIER are also available in print – contact the CAAT office. Contributors to CAATnews express their own opinions and do not DESO 3 necessarily reflect those of CAAT as an organisation. Contributors retain copyright of all work used. Arms Trade Shorts 4–5 CAAT was set up in 1974 and is a broad coalition of groups and individuals working for the reduction National gathering; DSEi 6 and ultimate abolition of the international arms trade, together with Local campaigns 7 progressive demilitarisation within arms-producing countries. Campaign Against Arms Trade Legal challenge 8–9 11 Goodwin Street, London N4 3HQ tel: 020 7281 0297 Clean Investment 10 fax: 020 7281 4369 email: [email protected] Mark Thomas web: www.caat.org.uk If you use Charities Aid Foundation cheques and would like to help TREAT Tanya Tier interview 11 (Trust for Research and Education on Arms Trade), please send CAF Parliamentary 12 cheques, payable to TREAT, to the office. Unlike CAAT, TREAT is a Steering Committee registered charity (No.328694) and will be able to use your donation for education and research. Using local media 13 To receive this issue of CAATnews in large print Fundraising 14 please call 020 7281 0297 Get active 15 Diary 16 2 FEB–MARCH 2007 CAATnews CAAT200.qxd 29/01/2007 09:19 Page 3 CALL THE SHOTS Shut DESO – the big push Keep lobbying your MP will make the short walk up CAAT’s Shut DESO lobby has had a Whitehall to hand the petitions in to huge impact over the last three the Treasury. months, raising much-needed We will be meeting at 11am awareness amongst MPs about outside the Queen Elizabeth DESO. The responses that CAAT Conference Centre in Central London supporters received from their MPs (Broad Sanctuary, London SW1P 3EE have highlighted the fact that there is - nearest tube Westminster or St a great deal of misunderstanding James Park). For more info, and to let and even ignorance about what us know you’re coming, please email DESO does – many MPs admitted to [email protected] thinking that DESO helps to control In the meantime keep collecting arms exports! and sending in those signatures! CAAT has therefore extended the Petitions can be downloaded from lobbying period until the end of the website. March to ensure that even more MPs hear the truth. We are also pressing Spreading the word for DESO’s closure to be considered As well as the petition, the Shut as part of the Treasury’s DESO campaign postcard is still Comprehensive Spending Review, available. If you haven’t already sent which takes place this year. The one to your MP and the Chief economic argument for closing DESO Secretary to the Treasury, please let is very strong and MPs should be us know and we can send copies for encouraged to ask Stephen Timms, Shut DESO action day PATRICK DELANEY you and your friends to sign. Many Chief Secretary to the Treasury, to groups around the country have also include DESO in the review. Reconciliation (FoR) on petitions that conducted informal street polls or So if you haven’t already call on the Government to shut street stalls – great ways to raise arranged to meet with your MP, DESO. CAAT and FoR will be local awareness about DESO. For please consider doing so between handing these petitions to the more postcards to distribute locally, now and March. You really can Treasury on Wednesday 7th March, to order a Shut DESO campaign make a difference. CAAT’s Lobby the day on which DESO holds its pack containing loads of local Guide provides easy step-by-step annual conference. Please join us for campaign ideas, or to get a copy of guidance and tells you all you need a peaceful protest outside DESO’s the Lobby Guide please contact to know about meeting with your MP. conference, which takes place near Patrick ([email protected]). Or visit You will find the guide and more Parliament Square. From there we www.calltheshots.org. ANNA JONES information at www.calltheshots.org or contact the office and we can send you a copy. We’d be very happy to talk things through with you if you have any What is DESO? questions and we may be able to put you in touch with other people in The Defence Export Services and Saudi Arabia, and regions of your area who want to lobby too. Organisation employs nearly 500 tension such as India and Pakistan. For help and advice please email civil servants to sell arms worldwide DESO’s official website boasts [email protected] or call the office. and to lobby across government for that over 75 per cent of arms And let us know if you’ve arranged a military exports. export orders would not have been meeting and how you got on. DESO sells weapons to conflict achieved without its assistance. zones, human rights abusers and CAAT’s campaign to Shut DESO is Join our protest and petition countries with desperate therefore vital if arms exports are to hand-in – Wednesday 7th development needs. Its Strategic be reduced and eventually ended. March Marketing Plan for 2005 listed Iraq For more on DESO see Over the last year, thousands of and Libya as “key markets”, along www.calltheshots.org or order a signatures have been collected by with other regimes with poor human briefing from the office. CAAT and the Fellowship of rights records such as Colombia CAATnews FEB–MARCH 2007 3 CAAT200.qxd 29/01/2007 09:19 Page 4 ARMS TRADE SHORTS VT deal with Thailand stops Blair’s Middle Oman barter deals East briefing Ship-builder VT has signed a £400m Thailand’s new government has deal to supply the Gulf state of agreed to stop the former prime The Times has revealed that Oman with heavily-armed ocean minister’s strategy of bartering Thai government officials urged Tony patrol vessels. This is the first export commodities and agricultural Blair to use his Middle East peace order from a UK naval yard in a produce for military equipment. The tour to lobby on behalf of the UK decade. new prime minister believes that arms industry. Blair was briefed VT hopes it may be the first of deals such as the 2005 exchange of that the United Arab Emirates was many in the Middle East, with Kuwait dried longan fruit for armoured seeking to “update its fleet of looking to buy fast attack craft and vehicles are no longer feasible, as training aircraft”. BAE Systems Saudi Arabia looking to buy more foreign military manufacturers may was mentioned in the briefing mine-hunters. not be interested in Thai agricultural document and was later waiting to VT is also in discussions to products. JANE’S DEFENCE INDUSTRY, JANUARY 07 learn whether the United Arab combine its Portsmouth yard with Emirates would buy its Hawk BAE System’s facilities in Glasgow to Israeli sales high advanced jet trainer. TIMES, 20/12/06 form one UK naval shipbuilder. INDEPENDENT, 17/1/07 Israel’s arms sales hit a record high in 2006, securing its position as one Relations with Sri Lanka buys of the top five arms exporters. India was Israel’s biggest customer and the military MIG-27s US was the second biggest, possibly due to the increase in Israeli A provision in a US military bill may Sri Lanka is to receive four MIG-27 companies establishing subsidiaries place military contractors under more fighter planes from Ukraine to quell in the US and partnering with US direct control of the military in resistance by the Liberation Tigers of companies. “contingency operations” as well as Tamil Eelam. The planes were JANE’S DEFENCE WEEKLY, 10/1/07 in a declared war. originally bought in 2000 but were Around 100,000 private sent back for repairs and upgrades Relations with contractors work with US military in 2004. The money for the planes operations in Iraq. Of particular came from Sri Lanka’s 2007 military military concern is the role of companies that budget, which is at a record high. co-ordinate with, but are not under JANE’S DEFENCE WEEKLY, 3/1/07 A provision in a US military bill may the control of the military. US Army place military contractors under more Colonel Peter Mansoor suggested Colombia aims direct control of the military in that the action of these organisations “contingency operations” as well as can often be at odds with the to increase in a declared war. military’s aim of winning the support Around 100,000 private of the local population. funding contractors work with US military JANE’S DEFENCE WEEKLY, 10/1/07 operations in Iraq.