UK-made weapons still reach war zones

Arms made in Britain are still being shipped into war zones via "friendly" countries, it was confirmed last night as the Government published its annual report on arms exports.

Arms made in Britain are still being shipped into war zones via "friendly" countries, it was confirmed last night as the Government published its annual report on arms exports.

Anti-arms trade groups highlighted examples of fears about the "end use" of British made arms as it became clear that a legislation promised after the "Arms to Iraq" scandal was unlikely to be passed before the general election.

Margaret Beckett, the Leader of the House of Commons, has left the legislation, which would place stricter controls on where British-made weapons end up, out of this autumn's legislative programme. The move has provoked protests from both the Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Stephen Byers.

There will be a new register for arms brokers, sources said yesterday, but that is unlikely to require primary legislation. The new "end use" law may well have to wait until after the general election.

British arms given licences for shipment to non-controversial countries are still being shipped elsewhere, though, as they were during the "Arms to Iraq" scandal when arms with an "end use" certificate for Jordan were paid for by Iraq.

The Qatari government confirmed that arms worth £7.5m sold to it by British Aerospace were destined for the Algerian army, which has waged an eight-year war against Islamist rebels. Although there is no arms embargo on Algeria, Government policy says Britain will not sell weapons that might fuel conflict or lead to internal repression.

The campaign group Saferworld highlighted the case of Land Rover, which exports parts for assembly in Turkey. A factory there makes armoured combat vehicles which have been sold to Algeria and to Pakistan, to which British export licensing was suspended last year. The group also drew attention sales of CS gas, submachine guns and tear gas to the Maldives, heavy machine guns, small arms and ammunition to Antigua and Barbuda and gun components to the Cayman Islands.

The value of Britain's arms sales dropped by more than half last year from £1.9bn to £900m. Britain's share of the world arms market dropped from 26 per cent to 22 per cent, but it remained the second-biggest exporter behind the US and ahead of Germany and France.

Paul Eavis, director of Saferworld, said the Government had made more information available this year, but added: "I will be deeply disappointed if no new legislation governing arms exports is forthcoming in this Parliament."

Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, accused Labour of "failing the ethics test". He said: "It is profoundly disappointing that the principal outcome of the Scott Inquiry for up to date arms export legislation has not yet been implemented."

Clare Short, the Secretary of State for International Development, has refused for a third year to sign the report, despite the demand of a Parliamentary committee that she should do so. The Government has failed to implement a demand that Ms Short should be allowed to object to an arms export licence that would damage a country's development.

In their introduction to the report, Mr Cook, Mr Byers and the Secretary of State for Defence, Geoff Hoon said it reinforced Britain's position as one of the most transparent nations on arms.