Arms Transportation, Brokering and the Threat to Human Rights

Table of Contents TABLE OF BOXES AND MAPS ...........................................................................................................1 DEFINITIONS .........................................................................................................................................2 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................3 FACING THE SQUEEZE - EXPORT SOUTH .................................................................................................. 5 STATES FAILING TO ADDRESS THE CHAIN ............................................................................................... 7 2. THE PROBLEM OF DELIVERY – SOME ILLUSTRATIONS ..................................................11 CHINESE AND US ARMS TO NEPAL – BY TRUCK AND BY AIR................................................................ 11 BROKERING LOGISTICS FOR US CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS ................................................................ 14 ARMS BROKERS AND TRAFFICKING TO THE COLOMBIAN PARAMILITARIES .......................................... 16 THE KARIN CAT – HELPING PREPARE A MAJOR INVASION .................................................................... 18 ARMS FROM BRAZIL SEIZED IN SOUTH AFRICA ................................................................................... 20 INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING NETWORK FOR ARMS FROM CHINA TO LIBERIA ......................................... 22 3. ORGANIZING MILITARY SUPPLY CHAINS AND ARMS TRANSFERS .............................28 ARMS TRANSFERS BY SEA .................................................................................................................... 32 ARMS TRANSFERS BY AIR ..................................................................................................................... 35 THE ARMS LOGISTICS CHAIN – WHO’S WHO? ....................................................................................... 38 4. THE LOGISTICS REVOLUTION AND ITS MILITARY CONSEQUENCES .........................41 MILITARY LOGISTICS ........................................................................................................................... 41 OUTSOURCING DEFENCE LOGISTICS ..................................................................................................... 44 THE CREATION OF “GREY” DEFENCE LOGISTICS MARKETS ................................................................... 47 THE CASE OF UKRAINIAN CARGO AIRWAYS ........................................................................................ 50 US QUEST TO CONTROL INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT AFTER SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 ............................ 52 CONTAINER SECURITY AND THE US “WAR ON TERROR” .................................................................... 53 5. ARMS BROKERAGE AND THE RISK OF DIVERSION ...........................................................58 THE CASE OF LEONID MININ AND ITS OUTCOME .................................................................................. 60 NATIONAL LAWS ON ARMS BROKERAGE ACTIVITIES ............................................................................ 63 WEAK DEFINITIONS .............................................................................................................................. 64 THE AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN APPROACH ........................................................................................ 65 OTHER APPROACHES ............................................................................................................................ 68 EXTRA-TERRITORIAL APPLICABILITY .................................................................................................. 70 LICENSING SYSTEMS AND ETHICAL CRITERIA ...................................................................................... 71 REGISTRATION AND OTHER CONTROLS ON BROKERING, INCLUDING GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL ......... 73 6. ARMS TRANSFERS AND ROUTES IN AFRICA ........................................................................78 AFRICA’S ARMS ROUTES TO CONFLICTS AND REPRESSION ................................................................... 81 AFRICA’S TRANSPORT NETWORKS AND ARMS TRANSFERS ................................................................... 86 SEA-BORNE TRADE ............................................................................................................................... 86 AIR-BORNE TRADE ............................................................................................................................... 89 LAND ROUTES ...................................................................................................................................... 92 AI Index: ACT 30/008/2006 Amnesty International 2 Dead on Time – arms transportation, brokering and the threat to human rights 7. THE LOGISTICS OF MAJOR MILITARY OPERATIONS .......................................................93 “OPERATION ALLIED FORCE” IN THE BALKANS .................................................................................. 94 “OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM” IN AFGHANISTAN ........................................................................ 97 “OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM,” THE EARLY PHASES .......................................................................... 100 8. BROKERING A COVERT ARMS SUPPLY OPERATION ......................................................104 “PEELING THE SKIN OF AN ONION”– ESTABLISHING ACCOUNTABILITY .............................................. 107 US SPONSORED ARMS BROKERING AND FREIGHTING NETWORK ........................................................ 109 CROATIAN, SWISS AND UK BROKERS ................................................................................................ 111 AIR CARRIERS AND THE LACK OF DELIVERY VERIFICATION ............................................................... 113 ISRAELI, SWISS AND UK FIRMS AND EXPORTS FROM SERBIA & MONTENEGRO ................................. 118 AIRLINE COMPANIES INVOLVED IN SERBIAN ARMS EXPORTS ............................................................. 119 WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ARMS DELIVERIES AND STOCKPILES IN IRAQ? ........................................... 121 9. THE CURRENT UN FRAMEWORK – TOO SLOW AND LIMITED ....................................122 THE UN CONSULTATIONS ON BROKERING IN SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS ............................. 123 UN DISCUSSION OF ARMS TRANSPORTATION ..................................................................................... 126 THE FORTHCOMING GROUP OF GOVERNMENTAL EXPERTS................................................................ 132 10. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................133 NATIONAL LEGAL REFORM ................................................................................................................ 135 GLOBAL STANDARDS ......................................................................................................................... 136 KEY RECOMMENDATIONS: ................................................................................................................. 138 TO ALL STATES................................................................................................................................... 138 TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ............................................................................................... 141 THE TRANSPORT INDUSTRY: ............................................................................................................... 142 APPENDIX 1 ........................................................................................................................................144 GLOBAL PRINCIPLES FOR INTERNATIONAL ARMS TRANSFERS ...................................144 PRINCIPLE 1: RESPONSIBILITIES OF STATES ....................................................................................... 144 PRINCIPLE 2: EXPRESS LIMITATIONS .................................................................................................. 144 PRINCIPLE 3: LIMITATIONS BASED ON USE OR LIKELY USE ................................................................ 145 PRINCIPLE 4: FACTORS TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT ........................................................................ 146 PRINCIPLE 5: TRANSPARENCY ............................................................................................................ 146 PRINCIPLE 6: COMPREHENSIVE CONTROLS ........................................................................................ 147 The authors of this report are Amnesty International and TransArms, Research Centre for the Logistics of Arms Transfers.1 1 The research activity of TransArms has been supported by grants awarded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and by the Ploughshares Fund. Amnesty International AI Index: ACT 30/008/2006 1 Dead on Time – arms transportation, brokering and the threat to human rights TABLE OF BOXES AND MAPS Definitions……………………………………………………………………………………………2 The world at war and the North-South divide………………………………………………………..4 Amnesty International’s position on the arms and security trade…………………………………..10 Global scales means that military cargo do not move in empty spaces……………………………..31 Main military and civilian cargo planes…………………………………………………………….37 Containerisation and defence logistics……………………………………………..……………….43 The 44 ports currently operational in the Container Security Initiative…………………………….55

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