Hansard

Iraq: Biological Weapons

Volume 492: debated on Wednesday 3 February 1988

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Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have reason to believe that Iraq is developing a germ warfare capability and if so whether they intend to continue exporting arms to that country.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(Lord Glenarthur)

Iraq is a party to the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, which prohibits the development or possession of biological weapons. Any evidence that Iraq might be developing such a capability would therefore be a matter of serious concern.Our guidelines on the export of defence-related equipment to Iran and Iraq are well known and were announced in another place on 29th October 1985. They are as follows:

  • (i) We should maintain our consistent refusal to supply any lethal equipment to either side;
  • (ii) Subject to that overriding consideration, we should attempt to fulfil existing contracts and obligations;
  • (iii) We should not, in future, approve orders for any defence equipment which, in our view, would significantly enhance the capability of either side to prolong or exacerbate the conflict;
  • (iv) In the line with this policy, we should'continue to scrutinise rigorously all applications for export licences for the supply of defence equipment to Iran and Iraq.