From: Adam <""4thwormcastfromthemolehill\"{at}the field.near
the bridge">

Looks like we're paying to replace the wee beasties even though Saudi ain't
a signatory to the Landmine convention...

        http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/08/21/cnsau
di21.xml

"The Government agreed to hand over œ17m-worth of arms to Saudi Arabia
free of charge to avoid falling foul of anti-landmines rules, private
ministerial papers reveal.

Last night the Ministry of Defence defended the transaction, insisting it
had been "the right thing to do" and demonstrates the UK's
commitment to the 1999 anti-mine Ottawa Treaty.

The papers, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show the extent
to which the Government has been willing to go to smooth the Saudi-British
relationship.

They come amid renewed focus on Britain's relationship with the desert
kingdom, after a œ10bn update to the original 1985 Al-Yamamah deal was
signed off by the Saudis last week.

The news emerged in a letter from the then defence secretary George (now
Lord) Robertson to his Conservative opposite number David Davis, dated
February 3 1999.

Lord Robertson notes that from March 1 of that year, Britain would have to
stop supplying the JP233 weapon system to the Saudis, to comply with the
Ottawa convention on landmines.

The JP233, designed to destroy airstrips contains anti-personnel mines that
explode at preset intervals, or when disturbed.

The solution was to replace each JP233 "on a one-for-one basis"
with 100 Paveway 3 precision guided bombs, all at UK taxpayers'
expense."

"Lord Robertson said that Saudi Arabia, which did not sign up to the
Ottawa Convention, would "retain the [JP233] weapons only until they
can be removed and destroyed".

He concluded: "It is important that we press ahead quickly, preferably
with the minimum of fuss, and make our formal offer before the Landmines
Act comes into force on March 1 1999, defending if necessary our actions on
the basis of promoting the objectives of the Ottawa Convention, whilst
preserving our relations with a strategically important country."

The covert deal with the Saudis allowed the Government to pronounce that it
had a clean bill of health six months later.

Asked about UK stocks of mines on October 19, then defence minister John
Spellar replied: "All UK weapons systems and munitions have been
checked for compliance with the provisions of the Ottawa Convention.

"There are no weapons or munitions in the UK inventory which fall
under the Ottawa definition of an anti-personnel mine. The UK is fully
committed to a complete global ban on anti-personnel mines and will never
again use these weapons."

A spokesman defended the transaction. He said: "In 1999 the MoD
provided the Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force with 100 Paveway
precision-guided bombs to replace its stock of JP233 anti-airfield weapons.

"This was the right thing to do and demonstrates the UK's commitment
to the Ottawa Convention, which seeks the world-wide elimination of
anti-personnel mines.""

Adam

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