'British govt split over arms sales to Pakistan'

LONDON, Jan 12: The British government is deeply split over whether to end a freeze on arms sales to Pakistan imposed after last October's military coup, The Guardian newspaper reported today, reports AFP.

The paper cited leaked cabinet documents showing that the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Trade and Industry want to resume sales as soon as possible.

However Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and Clare Short, who is in charge of international development, are opposed to any such move, remaining committed to the principle of an "ethical foreign policy."

The documents pointed out that there are around 80 applications for arms export licences which have been on hold since October because of the freeze.

It was Cook who spearheaded the campaign to have Pakistan suspended from the Commonwealth after General Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup last year.

Although Britain did not announce a formal arms embargo, no applications for arms export licences have been approved since the coup.

The issue will gain added weight when British defence chief Sir Charles Guthrie visits Pakistan from Thursday. He plans to meet Musharraf, according to the Guardian.

The cabinet rift highlights the difficulty for Britain's Labour government in promoting British trade and the defence industry, while at the same time supporting democracy and genuine aid projects.

"If we lose this it will be Indonesia next, and Nigeria after that," an unidentified junior minister opposed to arms sales to Pakistan told the daily paper, referring to other countries where Britain currently refuses to sell arms.

"This is the filthy end of foreign policy."