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British jets sold to India could be adapted to carry nuclear weapons or
used to train pilots to fly nuclear-capable aircraft, the government has
admitted.
The admission, in a series of written parliamentary answers, prompted
angry
reactions yesterday from MPs who said the sales flew in the face of the
government's commitment to sustainable development, its guidelines
covering
arms exports, and its pledge not to encourage nuclear proliferation.
The government is mounting an intensive campaign to sell 60 Hawk jets
worth
£1bn, in spite of the danger of the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir
spilling into war destabilising the entire region.
BAE Systems has already sold Jaguar combat aircraft to India in licensing
deals which the Ministry of Defence refuses to disclose.
The Hawk advanced jet trainer, which can be used as a ground attack
aircraft, is de signed to train pilots to fly fast jets "including
Jaguar",
Lewis Moonie, the junior defence minister, has told Tony Baldry, the Tory
MP for Banbury and chairman of the Commons cross-party international
development committee.
Asked what steps the MoD had taken to ensure that the Jaguar jets would
not
be modified for nuclear weapons use, Dr Moonie replied: "Any aircraft
capable of delivering a bomb is capable of modification to enable it to
deliver a nuclear weapon."
He referred to the government's pledges not to sell any equipment which
could contribute to India's nuclear programme, and that licences would be
used only if there were "no end use concerns".
However, Dr Moonie told Mr Baldry that information about the end use in
the
Jaguar licensing deal, and the number of Jaguars involved in the deal, was
confidential.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the
licensing deal is for 126 Jaguar aircraft. Plans are under way to upgrade
their performance with Israeli help.
Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, said
yesterday: "I should be extremely alarmed if there was any suggestion that
either with arms sales or training the UK was assisting India to enhance
its nuclear capabilities. So long as India declines to sign the
non-proliferation treaty the UK should not be contributing to India's
nuclear programme."
Mr Baldry said the deals were not consistent with the government's
publicly
stated concern about the impact of arms sales on sustainable development.
"What the Indian government would spend on Hawk jets amounts to a decade
of
UK bilateral aid," he said.
Mr Baldry pointed to government guidelines stating that before approving
arms sales it would take into account threats to "regional stability". It
would be hard to imagine any greater threat than providing arms to India
or
Pakistan, he said.
The MoD's refusal to answer questions about the Jaguar licensing deals and
any promises made about their end use was also seized on by Mr Campbell.
"It yet again underlines the overwhelming need for greater transparency
and
puts into sharp focus the whole question of guarantees."
Paul Eavis, director of the independent campaigning group Saferworld,
said:
"It is alarming that, under licence from a UK company, India is building
Jaguar aircraft that are capable of delivering nuclear weapons and the UK
government has no control over it."
He added: "The UK is now lobbying to sell £1bn of Hawk jets that are
designed to train pilots to fly the Jaguars that could also be used in
their own right as ground attack aircraft in the conflict over Kashmir."
New Delhi, April 18: India on Wednesday signed a historic $146
million defence deal with the United States for the procurement of
fire-finder battery radars. The deal is being seen as a major step
forward in the Indo-US defence ties which were resumed recently.
Senior Indian officials, led by special secretary in the defence
ministry Ajai Vikram Singh, were in Washington to finalise the
foreign military sales agreement. The agreement pertains to supply
of the ANYTPQ-37 radar system by the US to India. It is the first
deal signed between India and the US in over a decade. The event
was described as a "historic move" by Pentagon spokesperson
who said that security cooperation between the world's greatest
democracy and the world's most populous democracy is natural."
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Landelijke India Werkgroep - 14 mei 2002