Analysis of the Spanish report on arms trade for the 1st half of 2011

Written by Centre Delàs on 01 February 2012. Posted in Indústria i comerç d'armes

Spain doubles its arms exports; its destinations include countries in armed conflict

Continuation of Spanish arms sales to countries in armed conflict

The report by the Government of Spain (GoS) does not explain why defence equipment was sold in the first six months of 2011 to countries considered to be in situations of armed conflict or tension, one of the criterion included in the EU Common Position on the arms trade and used by other EU governments to reject export licences. Countries in armed conflict include Colombia, where the sale of ammunition worth €2,006,460 and military aircraft worth €12,021,720 was authorised. The total profit made during this period by the Spanish aeronautic military industry from the sale of several aircrafts to Colombia was €20,477,561. Exports to the Philippines, also in armed conflict, were authorised in the form of weapons with calibre lower than 22mm worth €5,000. The frequent belligerents India and Pakistan are traditional destinations for Spanish defence equipment: sale of material worth €16,714,974 was authorised to India (warships), including exports worth €81,078. Pakistan received military electronic equipment for €1,873,596 and further authorisations worth €10,200,000 for military training and equipment and €536,761 in military aircraft components. In Indonesia, where there has been armed conflict in West Papua since 2003 and where human rights violations have been widely reported, Spain exported arms worth €1,018,600, including €394,900 worth of weapons of 20mm calibre and higher and €623,700 worth of items from category 4: bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles.

Spain also authorised and carried out the sale of defence equipment to destinations where there are frozen conflicts such as Morocco and Western Sahara (where it authorised the export of €226,950 of the category that includes bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles and where components for military aircraft at a value of €1,529,476 were sold). Another controversial case is Turkey and Kurdistan (where Spain authorised the sale of arms for €3,907,161: €3m in military aircraft and weapons of less than 20mm calibre and bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles...) where the attacks in 2011 caused a great deal of death amongst the Kurdish population. Special emphasis must be put on arms sales to Israel, due to its conflict with the Palestinian Occupied Territories, to which the sale of ammunition, explosives, aircraft and military electronics for €10,402,962 was authorised, partly conducted in the period analysed. Lastly, there have also been questionable sales to Venezuela, which has a tense relationship with Colombia, comprising €259,500,000 worth of warships.

Thus, we consider the denials of Spanish arms sales to be insufficient, even considering only the criteria of the Common Position which refers to situations of tension or conflict in the destination countries of arms exports.

Denials of Spanish arms sales to countries where Arab revolts were happening were insufficient.

The Spanish government report highlights the government's quick reaction to the developments in some Arab countries and North Africa. Thus, applying criterion 2 (respect for human rights in the country of destination) and criterion 3 (internal situation in the destination country, in particular, the existence of tensions or internal conflicts) of the EU Common Position, it was decided to temporarily suspend the authorisation of military exports to countries where there were revolts, but not dual-use products and technologies.

However, during the first half of 2011 weapons were sold that could be used to suppress revolts to countries where they were occurring. For example, Spain sold ammunition to Bahrain worth €6,350,515, at the same time as the repression by the local army of the protests of the Shiite majority with the support of Saudi Arabia. Another protagonist of the Arab revolts is Oman, to which Spain exported €440,000 and €2,571,420 worth in munitions and bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles when the Sultan Qaboos deployed his army in Sohar, Muscat and the border with the Emirates in anticipation of further disturbances. Moreover, in a period when the Arab Springs phenomenon was spreading and when police repressed a Shiite protest in Saudi Arabia with gunfire, Spain sold €3,530,810 in munitions to the Saudi regime. Regarding military sales to Egypt, the report does not clarify why the sale of nearly €79m, mostly of military aircrafts, was authorised, or why military vehicles valued at €1,095,885 were sold. In Morocco, while revolts demanding more democracy were being violently repressed Spain authorised the sale of €226,950 in bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles and sold military aircraft for €1,529,476.

We should also highlight the sale of antiriot material to Peru, a country that qualifies as being in a situation of internal tension (the same criterion that served to deny licences to some countries with tensions related to the Arab revolts).

Hunting Guns fuelling conflicts in Africa?

Hunting and sports weapons worth €27.6m were exported, 78.5% more than for the same period in 2010. Although the main destinations were the U.S. and Norway, it is important to point out significant amounts of exports to countries where, due to serious internal armed conflict, it is likely that these weapons have had a different end use. Such is the case in the Central African Republic, where the sale of €1,218,500 in hunting weapons was authorised and the sale of gunpowder and cartridges to private companies for €114,912 was made in a country where armed conflict involving different factions has dragged on since 2006. The sale of shotgun shells to private companies and individuals in Guinea Bissau (€697,468), a country with internal tensions during this period, also raises suspicions. In Guinea Bissau, and especially in the Central African Republic, the likelihood that these weapons are diverted for uses that result in armed violence is high enough that the Spanish Government should have refused the sale.

Export of dual-use products and technology to controversial destinations

The value of exports of dual-use material and technology amounted to €36.9 million euro, down 32% from the first half of 2010. The main destinations were Brazil and the U.S. but the destinations comprised 47 countries in total. The reduction in exports of dual-use equipment to Iran due to the adoption of UN and EU sanctions stands out (although up to €3,393,999 in electronic dual-use products and technology has been exported). Finally, it is noteworthy that despite the censure of ten export licences: three to Georgia (UAVs), three to Pakistan (chemicals and validation code), two to China (machine tool), one to Iran (valves) and one to Sudan (chemicals), dual-use materials were exported to destinations controversial for their situations of armed conflict, tension or human rights violations, such as Colombia, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iran, Morocco, Nigeria and Turkey.

The value of Spanish arms exports in the first half of 2011 amounted to €1,099.8m, representing a 96.6% increase since the first half of 2010 (€559.3m). The high increase is a result of the important inclusion of expensive warships (57.4%) and aircraft (28.8%); for example, a frigate exported to Norway, two patrol vessels to Venezuela, a fuel-assisting plane to Australia and three military transport planes to Mexico. 51.5% of Spanish exports went to NATO countries (€566.3m) and 51.9% (€570.6m) to NATO + EU countries. The rest was exported to 37 other countries.
Continuation of Spanish arms sales to countries in armed conflict
The report by the Government of Spain (GoS) does not explain why defence equipment was sold in the first six months of 2011 to countries considered to be in situations of armed conflict or tension, one of the criterion included in the EU Common Position on the arms trade and used by other EU governments to reject export licences. Countries in armed conflict include Colombia, where the sale of ammunition worth €2,006,460 and military aircraft worth €12,021,720 was authorised. The total profit made during this period by the Spanish aeronautic military industry from the sale of several aircrafts to Colombia was €20,477,561. Exports to the Philippines, also in armed conflict, were authorised in the form of weapons with calibre lower than 22mm worth €5,000. The frequent belligerents India and Pakistan are traditional destinations for Spanish defence equipment: sale of material worth €16,714,974 was authorised to India (warships), including exports worth €81,078. Pakistan received military electronic equipment for €1,873,596 and further authorisations worth €10,200,000 for military training and equipment and €536,761 in military aircraft components. In Indonesia, where there has been armed conflict in West Papua since 2003 and where human rights violations have been widely reported, Spain exported arms worth €1,018,600, including €394,900 worth of weapons of 20mm calibre and higher and €623,700 worth of items from category 4: bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles.
Spain also authorised and carried out the sale of defence equipment to destinations where there are frozen conflicts such as Morocco and Western Sahara (where it authorised the export of €226,950 of the category that includes bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles and where components for military aircraft at a value of €1,529,476 were sold). Another controversial case is Turkey and Kurdistan (where Spain authorised the sale of arms for €3,907,161: €3m in military aircraft and weapons of less than 20mm calibre and bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles...) where the attacks in 2011 caused a great deal of death amongst the Kurdish population. Special emphasis must be put on arms sales to Israel, due to its conflict with the Palestinian Occupied Territories, to which the sale of ammunition, explosives, aircraft and military electronics for €10,402,962 was authorised, partly conducted in the period analysed. Lastly, there have also been questionable sales to Venezuela, which has a tense relationship with Colombia, comprising €259,500,000 worth of warships.
Thus, we consider the denials of Spanish arms sales to be insufficient, even considering only the criteria of the Common Position which refers to situations of tension or conflict in the destination countries of arms exports.
Denials of Spanish arms sales to countries where Arab revolts were happening were insufficient.
The Spanish government report highlights the government's quick reaction to the developments in some Arab countries and North Africa. Thus, applying criterion 2 (respect for human rights in the country of destination) and criterion 3 (internal situation in the destination country, in particular, the existence of tensions or internal conflicts) of the EU Common Position, it was decided to temporarily suspend the authorisation of military exports to countries where there were revolts, but not dual-use products and technologies.
However, during the first half of 2011 weapons were sold that could be used to suppress revolts to countries where they were occurring. For example, Spain sold ammunition to Bahrain worth €6,350,515, at the same time as the repression by the local army of the protests of the Shiite majority with the support of Saudi Arabia. Another protagonist of the Arab revolts is Oman, to which Spain exported €440,000 and €2,571,420 worth in munitions and bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles when the Sultan Qaboos deployed his army in Sohar, Muscat and the border with the Emirates in anticipation of further disturbances. Moreover, in a period when the Arab Springs phenomenon was spreading and when police repressed a Shiite protest in Saudi Arabia with gunfire, Spain sold €3,530,810 in munitions to the Saudi regime. Regarding military sales to Egypt, the report does not clarify why the sale of nearly €79m, mostly of military aircrafts, was authorised, or why military vehicles valued at €1,095,885 were sold. In Morocco, while revolts demanding more democracy were being violently repressed Spain authorised the sale of €226,950 in bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles and sold military aircraft for €1,529,476.
We should also highlight the sale of antiriot material to Peru, a country that qualifies as being in a situation of internal tension (the same criterion that served to deny licences to some countries with tensions related to the Arab revolts).

Hunting Guns fuelling conflicts in Africa?
Hunting and sports weapons worth €27.6m were exported, 78.5% more than for the same period in 2010. Although the main destinations were the U.S. and Norway, it is important to point out significant amounts of exports to countries where, due to serious internal armed conflict, it is likely that these weapons have had a different end use. Such is the case in the Central African Republic, where the sale of €1,218,500 in hunting weapons was authorised and the sale of gunpowder and cartridges to private companies for €114,912 was made in a country where armed conflict involving different factions has dragged on since 2006. The sale of shotgun shells to private companies and individuals in Guinea Bissau (€697,468), a country with internal tensions during this period, also raises suspicions. In Guinea Bissau, and especially in the Central African Republic, the likelihood that these weapons are diverted for uses that result in armed violence is high enough that the Spanish Government should have refused the sale.
Export of dual-use products and technology to controversial destinations
The value of exports of dual-use material and technology amounted to €36.9 million euro, down 32% from the first half of 2010. The main destinations were Brazil and the U.S. but the destinations comprised 47 countries in total. The reduction in exports of dual-use equipment to Iran due to the adoption of UN and EU sanctions stands out (although up to €3,393,999 in electronic dual-use products and technology has been exported). Finally, it is noteworthy that despite the censure of ten export licences: three to Georgia (UAVs), three to Pakistan (chemicals and validation code), two to China (machine tool), one to Iran (valves) and one to Sudan (chemicals), dual-use materials were exported to destinations controversial for their situations of armed conflict, tension or human rights violations, such as Colombia, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iran, Morocco, Nigeria and Turkey.