EU misses point on China arms, says US

mkpdavies · 19-01-2005, 10:51 PM

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/7b619d0a-6a...00e2511c8.html

Quote:

Efforts by Jack Straw, UK foreign secretary, to play down transatlantic tensions over European Union plans to lift an arms embargo on China were called INTO phpbb_question on Monday as a senior US official rejected his suggestion that Washington misunderstood the proposal.

The official said the EU was underestimating the strength of feeling in Washington over arms sales to Beijing. “A failure to understand the significance of this issue is going to result in major problems for transatlantic arms procurement,” he warned

Seeds of WWIII?

Quote:

“We understand exactly how the various EU policies work and Straw repeatedly saying we don't understand is not helpful,” the US official said. The embargo will be replaced by a strengthened code of conduct applying to all EU arms exports along with other special measures. The US official condemned the replacement regime as vague, saying it did not take INTO phpbb_account the effect that sales of arms would have on the strategic position in the Taiwan Strait.

“The code of conduct [and the additional measures] do not address our strategic concerns. There is not a thing in there that deals with the supply of command and control equipment the sort of things we are worried about,” the official said. “The EU approach as reflected by France and by Straw does not bring with it a strategic analysis.”

The Yanks are now finding out what a patronising tosser Straw is. Everytime I see his smug face on T.V. I nearly have to go and buy another T.V. He has a history of being a troublemaker, manipulator and career-merchant. He is new-Liebour through and through.

Who is our PPC for Blackburn? I want to help him in anyway I can!

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