(10 years ago)
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The Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington)
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has today laid a departmental minute proposing a gift to Ukraine.
The United Kingdom is committed to supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Throughout the crisis that has unfolded during 2014, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has played a crucial role in monitoring events on the ground and facilitating dialogue between Ukrainian and separatist factions in the east of the country. The OSCE’s special monitoring mission has been operating in Ukraine since March 2014, and the UK has been a strong supporter of its role, providing nearly £2 million in funding and seconding a number of UK nationals into the mission.
The Minsk protocol, the peace plan and ceasefire agreed between Ukraine and Russia on 5 September has tasked the SMM with significant additional responsibilities, notably monitoring and verifying the ceasefire and monitoring the Ukraine-Russia border. The ceasefire is just about holding but with continued outbreaks of violence, and fatalities. It is therefore vital that the OSCE special monitoring mission receives the funding and equipment it needs to expand to its full capacity of 500 international monitors and be enabled to fulfil its mandate while operating within an often very challenging environment. As part of a package of enhanced support to the OSCE, the UK therefore intends to provide 10 armoured vehicles to the mission, which have been identified as being crucial to allow monitors to operate securely in the more volatile eastern parts of Ukraine.
This package will be funded by the Government’s conflict pool fund—FCO, MOD and DFID. It is in direct response to a request from Swiss Federal President and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Didier Burkhalter, who has written to OSCE Foreign Ministers requesting the provision of people, money and equipment.
The departmental minute sets out the proposal to gift 10 armoured vehicles and associated communications equipment worth £1,169,006 to the OSCE. The proposed gift will consist of the following UK sourced equipment:
10 armoured vehicles (8 x LC200, 2 x LC105)—£1,120,000
10 AV spares kits—£11,266
10 Motorola DM4601 VHF radio plus ancillaries—£4,740
10 Codan Envoy XI HR radio—£33,000
The proposed gift has been assessed against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria. The proposed gift has been scrutinised and approved by a senior, cross-Whitehall conflict pool approval board, which has confirmed that it fits with the Government’s strategic and delivery objectives. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also assessed the project for human rights risks, using the overseas security and justice assistance guidelines established by the Foreign Secretary in 2011. They concluded that the risk of human rights violations arising from the project’s delivery could be successfully mitigated.
The Treasury has approved the proposal in principle. If, during the period of 14 parliamentary sitting days beginning on the date on which this minute was laid before the House of Commons, a Member signifies an objection by giving notice of a parliamentary question or of a motion relating to the minute, or by otherwise raising the matter in the House, final approval of the gift will be withheld pending an examination of the objection.