British Expatriate Network

Does anyone really believe that the U.K. government was not aware of this? I just find it hard to believe that Blair or someone in the cabinet would not know about the the U.K. being used "as an aircraft carrier for the U.S. " Sounds like the rendition flights to me!

http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5218036.stm

I'm sure they are aware of it but this alliance is and always has been a bit one-sided, certainly during Blair's tenure.

If the flights are in breach of rules, then the aircraft should be quarantined, the cargo confiscated and the crews repatriated until the country in question agrees to follow the rules.

I think it is a mistake for US to be openly supporting Israel and then sending it arms but for UK to get into the picture as well is downright stupid. Israel is not our client and hasn't been much an ally since Suez.

If they are running out of munitions (which US says they are not but doth they protest too much?), then some might say that is a good thing, given what they are doing with them.

Blair is so far up Bush's arse he's disappeared.

Naw not true In a recent press conferance blairs left hand and arm were seen emerging from bush,s arse and reaching around to scratch his balls . :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :???:

his what?

Balls. Bollocks. Testicles.

Ha, ha, ha. I just heard that Bush 'apologized' for the 'incident at Prestwick airport'. Oh, that makes it alright then.

Ding-Dongs, X-mas ornaments! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[I think it is a mistake for US to be openly supporting Israel and then sending it arms but for UK to get into the picture as well is downright stupid. Israel is not our client and hasn't been much an ally since Suez.

The U.S. has to openly support Israel, the Senate has a large majority of Jewish people controlling everything! For the U.K. to be agreeing with all this is bewildering to me. ?

I don't know where people get their facts, but its important for people to understand how it all works.

When a country purchases weapons from another country, they approach the company that makes the said weapons. Its a private transaction. The company makes sure that the goods they are supply are ok and get the nod from their government that its ok to export. This is not a government to government deal.

Goods that enter a third country for a any amount of time are called Transhipments and are declared the the controlling agency of that country.

This is not really even a news story. America is one of the worlds largest arms suppliers, but you can say Russia and China are the worlds largest suppliers of AK 47's which tend to end up in the hands of some not very nice groups of people.

Its all a big game really and every day people often pay for it with their lifes. Its all very sad but that world he have and its always been like that.

As for some big conspiracy, geeze we could not evacuate New Orleans, even when we saw some great big storm heading towards it. So what chance do we or anyone else have of orchestrating all this crap. There are no small group of people planning all this stuff and controlling it.

Yeah, I'll believe that when we watch the rich and famous struggling in the Hamptons. Bet they'll manage to evacuate that place. :evil:

They didn't evacuate NO, but that doesn't imply that they couldn't have done if they had had a mind to. The fact that they had dumped the experts in favour of friends and acquaintances didn't help, but it was a choice.

Goose,

I suggest you go back and check your facts as well.

You only mention one type of arms purchase, DCS or Direct Commercial Sales which are more or less the way you described.

You completely ignored are not aware of FMS or Foreign Military Sales, which are new or used weapons, spare parts and other related services that are purchased from the US government directly by foreign governments. If the weapons are new, then the Pentagon contracts directly with the manufacturer. If from used stocks, then the Pentagon supplies themselves, obviously.

Here are Israel's purchases from 2002, listed by dollar amount:
Israel 2002 FMS Deliveries

There is another category also called EDA or Excess Defensive Articles which are used, generally obsolete weapons and equipment that is given away for free to foreign governments - sometimes so obsolete that the receiving country refuses them outright! However, in 2002, you can clearly see in released Pentagon reports that Israel accepted many AIM-95 (failed Sidewinder air-to-air missile replacement) target detectors that were given to them for free by the US Government.

The other categories are IMET (International Military Education and Training) which has "helped" over a hundred countries each year and Drawdown Assistance provided under Section 506 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 at the discretion of the President. In 2002, several countries including Afghanistan were allocated weapons by the President directly.

I hope this clears up the misconception that was described earlier.

keith never ignored that fact. It just gets real complicated when you start to drill down to various arms sales contracts. A number of countries are allowed various technologies and all military contracts have to be approved. Infact British/American joint run into problems about a month back cuz the US would not give up some computer coding information ( I think that was the main issue) I am sure its all been sorted now. The fact its a new technology means nothing. The people would get the weapons system knowing that they will not get all the knowledge that goes with it .

Take an F16. They sell the things with a bog standard radar system. Infact bog standard everything. Many countries then develop their own systems to be installed within the planes.

Items that have been around sometime or you have got newer upgrades are often rotated out. rather than just throw them away they get sold that helps with the cost of replacing with newer upgrades.

The only bollox around Bushy come out of his mouth.