A British soldier wears a blue U.N. beret in Cyprus. File photo by ANDREAS MANOLIS
GENEVA (AlertNet)
- NGOs criticised the presence of a British government arms export agency this week at the Aid and Trade expo in Geneva on humanitarian issues.
The British government&${esc.hash}39;s Defence Exports Services Organisation (DESO) had a stand at the exhibition, with British soldiers -- some wearing blue berets from former United Nations operations -- demonstrating 20 U.K.-based companies&${esc.hash}39; goods and equipment of use in humanitarian emergencies and peacekeeping operations.
Many of the products, from vehicles adapted for conflict zones to tough transport cases and systems for building protective barriers, were clearly dual use items developed with the military as one market and promoted to aid agencies with literature featuring military forces, tanks, helicopters and light arms.
DESO is part of the British Ministry of Defence and its 600 staff -- a mix of military officers and civilian personnel -- support international sales by the British arms industry, which is worth &${esc.hash}39;4.5 billion (${esc.dollar}7.4 billion) a year and employs 100,000 people.
There was concern at DESO&${esc.hash}39;s appearance at Aid and Trade in a year when Britian was is likely to be a co-belligerent in any Iraq war, which a leaked confidential U.N. report forecast would lead to almost a million refugees, leave millions hungry and cause 500,000 civilian injuries and sickness.
Besides objections to the connection with arms exports, DESO&${esc.hash}39;s presence revived debate about how in emergencies such as Kosovo and Afghanistan the military had taken "humanitarian space" by engaging in propaganda exercises such as rebuilding schools and put aid workers at risk by not wearing uniforms while on duty.
&${esc.hash}39;A BAD IDEA&${esc.hash}39;
Among NGOs worried by DESO was one of its fellow exhibitors, ADRA Germany -- an AlertNet member -- whose director, Volker Artmann, said: "This is a bad idea. They were here last year with brochures inviting people to write for more information. When I did so, I got information back about military companies.
"We&${esc.hash}39;ve seen in Germany and elsewhere that the military is pushing to be involved in humanitarian operations, both to maintain its budgets and to improve its image. But when soldiers start thinking they are humanitarians, that can create problems and be a danger for aid workers.
"There&${esc.hash}39;s been pressure from our foreign ministry for German NGOs to make a formal operational agreement with our ministry of defence, so the military have a legal basis for helping civilians and we all work together, but no agreement has yet been signed."
Artmann added: "I can understand why DESO is here but from a moral point of view I&${esc.hash}39;m not happy."
His view was supported by another NGO exhibitor, Green Cross International, which was promoting the worldwide "Water for Peace" programme of cross-border cooperation to avoid conflict over water supplies.
Its mission officer, Dorothy Slepyan, said: "I wonder about their motivation for being here and trying to play a humanitarian role. There&${esc.hash}39;s a dichotomy when they create the weapons that support the conflict and then try to heal the people who have been hurt. You cannot perpetuate conflict and then try to clean it up for a profit."
Adam Thomas, DESO&${esc.hash}39;s public affairs adviser, said it was disappointing if aid agencies were negative about its engagement in this field. "I hope agencies understand that the military is not just about defence operations but also peacekeeping and support for the United Nations," he told AlertNet.
&${esc.hash}39;A LEADER IN THIS FIELD&${esc.hash}39;
"The U.K. is a leader in this field with a strong commitment to peacekeeping and supporting the U.N. in places such as Sierra Leone, Kosovo and East Timor. DESO is happy to work with any agency that wants out help; we don&${esc.hash}39;t impose ourselves."
He added that DESO&${esc.hash}39;s role at Aid and Trade was to support small and medium companies that might otherwise not have access to the humanitarian market with goods and services appropriate for peacekeeping and similar operations, from food and shelter to vehicles and communications.
He said: "It&${esc.hash}39;s not just to sell products, British companies are looking for joint ventures and inward investment that will help the economies of developing countries.
The British Minister for Defence Procurement, Lord Bach, had been due to visit the DESO stand at Aid and Trade but withdrew because he was involved in the announcement of a contract to build an aircraft carrier.
Links
ADRA Germany: http://adra-gmbh.de/
DESO: http://www.deso.mod.uk/
Green Cross: http://www.greencrossinternational.net/
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