Government continues to promote arms to Saudi Arabia as human rights deteriorate

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) has condemned as shameful the UK government continued eagerness to sell arms to the authoritarian regime of Saudi Arabia, despite their worsening human rights situation and almost complete lack of democratic institutions.

New government data reveals that in 2012 the UK licensed weaponry worth £111.7 million to Saudi Arabia, plus £5.6 million worth of dual use goods. Overall, Saudi Arabia is the largest market for UK arms, buying almost £4 billion worth of weapons and military services between 2008 and 2012.

In 2007, Saudi Arabia contracted to buy 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, from arms giant BAE Systems, in a deal worth up to £6 billion. Although the first 24 jets were delivered and arrangements put in place for servicing, upgrading and delivering the remaining 48 aircraft, a final price has yet to be agreed. In November 2012 David Cameron visited Saudi Arabia to help seal the deal. However, the negotiations continue.

The continued arms sales drive comes despite Saudi Arabia’s deteriorating human rights record:

• Saudi Arabia’s ranking in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index 2012 declined further to 163 out of 167 countries, and it was given zero points for electoral process and pluralism. The only countries ranked lower were Syria, Chad, Guinea Bissau and North Korea.
• Saudi Arabia’s press was assessed as not free by Freedom House’s Freedom of the Press Index 2013 which listed it as joint 182 of 197 countries listed.
• Saudi Arabia was listed as a country of concern in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual report on Human Rights and Democracy 2012.

Despite its country of concern label, Saudi Arabia was simultaneously listed as a priority market by UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation (UKTI DSO), the government’s arms sales unit, which regularly invites official delegations from Saudi Arabia to arms fairs and related trade exhibitions in the UK.

CAAT spokesperson Kaye Stearman said:

When it comes to Saudi Arabia the UK government completely disregards any considerations of human rights in its effects to sell arms, whether they be Eurofighter Typhoons, Tactica armoured vehicles or small arms and ammunition.

The Prime Minister and arms company executives visit Saudi Arabia to beg for orders and routinely roll out the red carpet for Saudi delegations to the UK, as they will be doing in September for the DSEI arms fair. It’s time to end this damaging and dangerous relationship and stop selling arms to this repressive and despotic regime.

Arms export data – UK arms exports to Saudi Arabia

In 2012 the UK licensed weaponry worth £111.7 million to Saudi Arabia. The main items licensed fell in the categories: aircraft, helicopters, drones – £81.4 million; armoured vehicles, tanks – £8.8 million; technology – £3.8 million; imaging equipment – £3.5 million; other electronic equipment – £3.2 million; grenades, bombs, countermeasures – £3.2 million; ammunition – £2.1 million; chemical, biological agents – £1.5 billion; and small arms – £1.2 million.

In addition, there were licences totalling over £3.6 million for dual use items of telecommunications and information security, which could be used against dissidents.

In the five years 2008-2012, the UK licensed arms worth over £3.9 billion to Saudi Arabia, with aircraft, helicopters and drones (essentially, Eurofighter Typhoon sales and services) taking the lion’s share at £3.4 billion. There were also substantial amounts of other military equipment and services, including £236 million of grenades, bombs, missiles and countermeasures, £90 million of small arms and £67 million of armoured vehicles and tanks. (For these and other items see the full list.) In addition, the UK also licensed over £147.5 million worth of dual use goods.

ENDS

Notes

1. The full figures for 2012 are available on CAAT website in the format of CAAT’s arms export browser. They reveal that the UK licensed military exports worth £2.2 billion over the period, plus dual use exports worth £5,342 billion.

2. The arms export licensing process is carried out by the Export Control Organisation in the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), with input from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and, where development issues are involved, the Department for International Development (DFID). The statistics for the fourth quarter of 2012 were published in the week of 21 April 2013.

3. David Cameron has made two visits to Saudi Arabia as Prime Minister, in January 2012 and November 2012. In both cases, military issues have been paramount. A week after his second visit, in a UK speech, he stated:

   Some people are a bit squeamish about me flying off around the world to help our defence industry… It’s right we should be at the forefront of this market, supporting British jobs and British allies and that’s why last week in the Gulf, I was pushing new contracts for Typhoon jets worth billions of pounds and thousands of jobs. That’s vital new business for Britain. And I make no apology for going out there and trying to help win it.

   In March 2013, Prince Charles visited Saudi Arabia to support UK political and military ties.

4. Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) works to end the international arms trade. The arms business has a devastating impact on human rights and society and damages economic development. Large-scale military procurement and arms exports only reinforce a militaristic approach to international problems. In 2012, CAAT was awarded a Right Livelihood Award – the Alternative Nobel Prize – for its innovative and effective campaigning against the arms trade.