Say it ain't so!
Sweden may halt arms exports to the United States if U.S.-led forces attack Iraq without a mandate from the United Nations Security Council, the Swedish TT news agency reported on Wednesday. Militarily non-aligned Sweden opposes armed intervention in Iraq without U.N. backing and would consider any such attack a breach of international law. "International law is an important factor in our guidelines," TT quoted Lotta Fogde, a top civil servant dealing with arms control issues, as saying.
Lotta Fogde?
The government's foreign policy guidelines say arms should not be exported to countries at war or in violation of international law.
...and I'll bet they've NEVER violated that rule before.
"We hope we can avoid such a decision but if it comes to that, it will clearly be one of the more difficult questions the government has had to decide in the field of arms exports," Fodge added.Swedish arms exports to the United States are worth approximately 250 million crowns ($30 million) per year. TT quoted Prime Minister Goran Persson as saying the government had not yet discussed the issue. |