British NVG Kit found in Hezbollah Bunkers

[ORAC]

How about, "We sell it to you with conditions, we have you by the short and curlies when you break them".....

Particularily when we ain't mates....

[nigegilb]

Parliamentary Questions concerning NVGs to Iran

House of Lords

Iran: Arms Embargo and UK Exports

All Written Answers on 21 May 2003
Lord Desai (Labour) Hansard source asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether any goods subject to the national arms embargo have recently been approved for export to Iran.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean (Minister of State (Trade), Department of Trade and Industry) Hansard source

The Government have recently issued a licence for the export of night vision goggles which are of military specification. These goods are for use on the Iran/Afghanistan border against heroin smugglers, and the export is funded by the UN Drugs Control Programme (UNDCP). The UN offices in Vienna have confirmed that this application is legitimate. Her Majesty's Government are therefore satisfied that these goods would only be used for the end-use stated, and there is no risk of these goods being diverted for use by the Iranian military.

[Letsby Avenue]

Can't we just buy the poppy crop? Ship it back here and burn it... Sure beats fighting the Taliban until we get bored and move on to something else... (some people might call killing all those Taliban ethnic cleansing)

[IrishSarBoy]

I think it's a brilliant idea to sell British arms to small countries, just don't sell them a support and maintenance deal as well. In six months they'll have a lot of expensive scrap to play with and UK PLC will make a killing (not literally).

[Tuned In]

Load Toad

If you look at the graph it shows the permanent members in red and green, depending on their votes on the Iraqi liberation. Except for Britain of course, as it sold too few weapons to Iraq for the colour to show. However you should see China, Russia and France pretty clearly. Only you really are not kean to look at that graph, are you?

[Baron rouge]

Originally Posted by BenThere

It's a complex problem.
You know that if you don't sell the weapon systems, the Chinese, Russians or French, who have no scruples on the matter, will. Then you've lost the sale, the follow on sales, and access to the customer nation's military.
In addition, by selling your own weapons, you are better able to counter tactics if they're ever used against you, have control over performance configurations, and can limit the capability to what you intend to transfer. I also like the idea of embedded technology that can render performance degrades in case they become hostile.

Don't worry UK has far less scruples than those you named, it is still the third arm dealer of this world, at least was in 2004 just behind The US and Russia

Britain was third in arms transfer agreements to the developing world in 2004, signing contracts worth $3.2 billion, while Israel ranked fourth, with deals worth $1.2 billion. France followed with $1 billion.

[ORAC]

Which would seem to indicate that, on average, we sell to the good guys, and that France, Russia and China do not.

I expect the profit margin is better with less questions asked.....

[Baron rouge]

Originally Posted by ORAC

Which would seem to indicate that, on average, we sell to the good guys, and that France, Russia and China do not.

Can you try to explain how you came to that brilliant conclusion ? It must be a great comfort to feel so much better than the others, whatever you do
Brainless "the Sun" reader's syndrome maybe.

[LXGB]

[/URL]

Originally Posted by ORAC

British NVG Kit found in Hezbollah Bunkers Since they have the serial numbers, it should not take more than a few hours to confirm if they were part of the consignment supplied to Iran or not.

Found this after a short google for the "ThermoVision" system described in the BBC report:

FLIR Inc

[Maple 01]

Can you try to explain how you came to that brilliant conclusion ?

I can't speak for Orac, but I can speak as an ex-int Analyst

Russia, France and China have historically armed anyone who would pay or failing that, subsidied nations who's client status would increase their influence

The UK and US persued simular policies during the Cold war, but tended to at least atempt ethical sales policies (notice I said atempt) subsiquently much tighter constraints have been in place (no, really) unlike the big three above that were busting UN sanctions from the word go.

If you want proof check-out the US find of Roland III reloads in crates dated 2003 at an airfield during GW2 - how could they have got there?

[precession]

forget about these little things, there are bigger

So who supplied the Israelis with the Cluster bombs they used in the last two days of this conflict, in direct contraventon of their appropriate use, as dictated by both the USA and International Law ?

a few NVG units that may have help knock out a number of armoured units which were badly deployed, badly led, and badly crewed is neither here nor there.

[Maple 01]

a few NVG units that may have help knock out a number of armoured units which were badly deployed, badly led, and badly crewed is neither here nor there.

To your mind maybe not, me? I'd object strongly. Anyone (Baron rouge perhaps) want to disprove my claim about French sanction busting to Iraq in contravention of UNSCRs?

[Selac66]

I fail to see your point Maple. If France, Russia and China see it as in their own interest to supply arms to people they will do it - as the US/UK have done in the past. Without a clean record in this department we can't go whinging when our own tactics are used against us - as a former ex-int analyst you'd know that it's more complicated than that.

[BenThere]

Not to mention the Osirak reactor before that.

France is in a league by itself. The tradition of US, UK, Russia and China has been to arm their allies. France likes to arm the enemies of its 'allies'.