A MESSAGE TO MARGARET BECKETT

UK - USA SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP


I understand you have issued a formal complaint to the Government of the United States with respect to the refueling stop at Prestwick Airport of cargo planes transporting laser guided missiles and other military equipment to Israel.

In the light of Prime Minister Blair's recent statement, that the UK is a good friend of Israel in both good and bad times and not just a fair weather friend, as well as agreeing that the terrorist organisation Hizbollah has to be eliminated, I find your approach reprehensible.

It would appear that whilst transport of weapons and military equipment from the USA to other theatres of war, either for their own use or the use of UK or Coalition forces is acceptable, only in the case of Israel is there a furore and Her Majesty's Secretary of State at the Foreign Office has to protest.

It has to be questioned why double standards are being employed. After all the UK government sanctions UK weapons manufacturers to export to Arab and other countries, fighter aircraft, navel vessels of all descriptions, tanks, missiles, rockets and a whole variety of ammunition, without batting an eyelid. The export of such material is considered so sensitive that no government department publishes detailed statistics. Only in the case of Israel has HM Foreign Office sought to ban or delay the export of such material, in some cases where total pre-payment had been made.

It is time for you to explain the basis and rationale for your decision.

Indeed, multipurpose material was exported without question to Iraq that resulted in the Scott Enquiry, much of whose recommendations are still not implemented. As you are aware, the Hizbollah rockets fired into Israel over the last two weeks originating from countries such as Syria and Iran, contain small diameter spherical ball bearings.

It is to be doubted if the Foreign Office or any other government department has put an immediate ban on the export of such material, the raw materials used for this item and the equipment used to make this item. In addition, has the transit of such material through the UK been banned?

In case you are unaware of the damage these items can cause take a careful look at the photographs

An Open Letter to Dr Kim Howells - Your visit to Beirut

As Minister of State for the Middle East at the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office it was necessary to weigh your words carefully during your visit to Beirut - but you failed abysmally. Your comments were not worthy of a government minister.


When the UK was attacked during WW2 by V1 and V2 rockets the Royal Air Force bombed major German cities relentlessly. It ill behoves that you were sharply critical of the Israel Defence Force tactics in Lebanon. I don't recollect you making such criticism of the tactics of what the British media, in particular the state radio BBC, call "militants or guerrillas" when terrorists, suicide bombers and Hamas Terrorists' rockets were murdering Jewish children and people in cold blood since the 1950's.

You do not apparently realize that this is Israel's battle for survival. It is not an exercise in a far off country to try out newly developed British weapons and tactics or saturate bombing and rockets like the Cruise and other missiles used by the Coalition to attack Iraq.

Britain has not had to defend these shores since the conclusion of the Second World War but has been active in many theatres of war including its defending overseas territories it occupies which were acquired by force in previous centuries. You should question the UK's right to remain in the Falkland Isles for a start, located so far away from the UK.

Indeed you should have saved your criticism for the people of Lebanon who permitted Hezbollah to occupy the area in the first place, just like they permitted the terrorists of the PLO in the late 1970's.

Why not direct your attention to criticizing the permanent members of the UN Security Council, of which the UK is one, followed by the International Community, who turned a blind eye to the arming of Hezbollah to the teeth with such lethal weapons and permitted Hezbollah, Lebanon, Syria and Iran to ignore Security Council Resolution 1559 of 2 September 2004.