Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-11-16-Speech-2-034"
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"en.20041116.7.2-034"2
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"Mr President, every year arms kill hundreds of thousands of people and cause immeasurable human suffering. Not only are unlawful killings in wartime on the increase, but equipment is being misused by soldiers, paramilitaries and police to kill, wound and commit terrible atrocities against civilians in peacetime as well.
On current trends, by 2020 the number of deaths and injuries from war and violence will overtake the number of deaths caused by diseases such as malaria and measles. Although the EU Code of Conduct was welcome as a first step, export controls across the EU still have many weaknesses and loopholes and we need the political will to implement the changes required to add to and tighten up the Code criteria, to regulate licensed production overseas, to apply the Code to weapons components, to strengthen arms embargoes and to ensure that all EU Member States publish annual reports on arms exports, which Austria, Greece and Luxembourg have failed to do. Otherwise the rules will continue to be bypassed.
For example, the helicopters used against civilians and insurgents by the security forces in Nepal contain EU components. German Deutsche AG diesel engines bypass EU embargoes by going to China and to Burma and the production of military small arms has been shifted to Malaysia, a country that has aggressive export plans for these arms and would not be subject to the EU Code.
As already indicated in operative provision 11, this should not stop at Europe. The British Conservatives hypocritically preach that others should do what they claim is done in Britain. I am proud of what Britain has done, but I want to see an international arms trade treaty. They will not support that in this resolution.
Finally, I should like to endorse the view expressed in this debate that there are many hurdles to be overcome before the embargo against China can be lifted. First, it is crucial that any decision to lift the embargo should not adversely affect stability across the Taiwan Straits. Second, we need to understand fully the impact on the flow of arms if the embargo is lifted. Third, we should express our continuing concerns about China's human rights record and any decision must be subject to its progress in meeting human rights standards."@en1
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