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Parliament demands probe of exports to Syria found in Iraq

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, April 8, 2003

LONDON Ñ British parliamentarians are calling for an investigation into the sale of British military and dual-use systems and components to Syria.

The parliamentarians have reviewed government reports that asserted that Syria received nearly $2.5 million worth of dual-use of equipment and components used in the production of chemical weapons and night-vision equipment. They are demanding an investigation of whether some of the British components were bought by Syria for Iraq's military.

"Ministers must give us full details of all the equipment they supplied to Syria and full assurances of how it will be used," Louise Ellman, a Labor parliamentarian, said. "But I question why when we know that Syria sponsor terrorist attacks that we should be supplying any military supplies at all."

Over the last year, British officials have acknowledged that export controls to Iran and Syria were relaxed. Last week, the government ended mandatory ministerial review of applications for the export of strategically-controlled goods to Iran.

Officials said the easing of restrictions has enabled the export of aircraft engine components and beryllium to Iran and dual-use equipment and automatic weapons to Syria. Beryllium is a lightweight corrosive-resistant metal used in the production of nuclear weapons.

The government of Prime Minister Tony Blair relied on Iran and Syria not to use dual-use components for military purposes, officials said. They said that some of the weapons sold to Syria were part of an effort to launch a defense and military relationship with the regime of President Bashar Assad.

On Monday, Assad and Blair spoke on the telephone and discussed the war in Iraq. Later, Assad was reported as having told Blair that he continues to oppose the U.S.-led effort to topple the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. A Syrian government statement said Blair pledged to expand relations with Damascus and opposed any military attack on Syria.

The Department of Trade and Industry reported that from 1999 to 2001 Britain sold Syria toxic chemical precursors, components for military infrared and thermal imaging systems, helmets for combat pilots and military communications.

The demand for a parliamentary investigation comes in wake of the discovery by British forces of a large amount of British defense equipment in Iraqi warehouses in the southern city of Basra. The boxes contained rocket-propelled grenades and fuzes produced by Wallop Defence Systems, a leading British contractor and supplier to the U.S. Army.

Several parliamentarians have also called for an embargo on all military sales to Syria. They have also requested information on whether any of the British equipment to Syria has been found in Iraq.

Syria has been producing chemical weapons and conducting research into the development of biological weapons. Critics said the British toxic chemical precursors could have been used for such weapons as nerve or mustard gas.

"UK ministers are in self-denial here," Richard Bingley, a spokesman for the Campaign Against The Arms Trades, told the Observer newspaper. "They believe Syria is developing weapons of mass destruction but naively refuse to accept that British-supplied equipment will be diverted either into these programs or neighboring Iraq.."

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