How UK armed Assad

I submitted this letter to the Independent, but they declined to publish it.

 

The small article  on page 22 of your newspaper on 10 July reported that in the early 1980s chemicals exported to Syria could have been subsequently diverted for use by the autocratic Assad regime in the nerve gas Sarin (“UK chemicals could have been used in Syrian sarin”).

Unfortunately, it is not only over thirty years ago that the UK has licensed the export of chemicals and technologies with dual civil and military end uses. There is a distressing list of more contemporary exports.

Syria

Licences

 

Date▲▼	Type	Country▲▼	Item	Revoked	Rating	Value
2011-09	SIEL	Syria	cryptographic software      equipment employing cryptography		5A002 £997  5D002 £1,001
2011-02	SIEL	Syria	materials testing equipment		End Use £12,020
2010-12	SIEL	Syria	materials testing equipment		End Use £12,000
2010-07	SIEL	Syria	personal protective equipment		End Use £10,167
2010-06	OIEL	Syria	hydrophones      towed hydrophone arrays		N/A Unknown
2010-05	SIEL	Syria	chemicals used for pharmaceutical/healthcare production		1C350 £345
2010-05	SIEL	Syria	equipment employing cryptography		5A002 £17,038
2010-02	SIEL	Syria	components for materials analysis equipment      materials analysis equipment		End Use £197,732
2010-01	SIEL	Syria	small arms ammunition   2011-05		ML3 £30,000
2009-11	SIEL	Syria	equipment employing cryptography      software for the use of equipment employing cryptography		5A002 £1,515,000  5D002 £900,000
2009-10	SIEL	Syria	components for electronic measurement equipment      electronic measurement equipment		End Use £2,451
2009-09	SIEL	Syria	materials testing equipment		End Use £22,139
2009-08	SIEL	Syria	equipment employing cryptography		5A002 £1,250,000
2009-08	SIEL	Syria	equipment employing cryptography		5A002 £1,250,000
2009-06	SIEL	Syria	process control equipment		End Use £540

 

Date▲▼	Type	Country▲▼	Item	Revoked	Rating	Value
2009-04Refused(1)	SIEL	Syria	chemicals		End Use N/A
2009-03Refused(1)	SIEL	Syria	components for general laboratory equipment      general laboratory equipment		End Use N/A
2009-02	SIEL	Syria	chemicals used for cosmetics production		1C350 £6,220
2008-12	SIEL	Syria	dimensional measuring equipment		End Use £41,900
2008-10	SIEL	Syria	electric motors      electrical test equipment		End Use £44,187
2008-10	SIEL	Syria	body armour      components for body armour      military helmets		ML13 £5,040
2008-09Refused(1)	SIEL	Syria	electronic components		End Use N/A
2008-08	SIEL	Syria	sporting gun ammunition		ML3 £30,000
2008-08	SIEL	Syria	corrosion resistant chemical manufacturing equipment		2B350 £212,430
2008-08	SIEL	Syria	electronic measurement equipment		End Use £26,430
2008-05	SIEL	Syria	biotechnology equipment		End Use £14,027
[ SIEL= Standard Individual Export Licence;	OIEL=Open Individual Export License]

I think the Foreign Secretary and his Labour predecessors should explain to the public why they gave permission for such materials and technologies to be exported to a regime led by such a political thug.