Display of cluster bombs banned at British arms fair

Weapons have been requested not to display cluster bombs at next month's military equipment exhibition in the London Docklands because they are considered "inappropriate" for the UK market.

The Guardian newspaper has been told that the decision to hide the trade in such lethal anti-personnel devices is being enforced despite the fact that British and US forces used them extensively in the invasion of Iraq.

The sensitivity reflects mounting public concern over the dangers posed by the multiple "bomblets" contained in cluster bombs. A significant number do not explode on impact, remaining on the ground and attracting the attention of youngsters. The UN children's fund UNICEF believes more than 1,000 children have been injured by cluster bomblets and other unexploded munitions since the official end of the conflict in Iraq.

A spokeswoman for Spearhead Exhibitions, the company organizing the Defense Systems and Equipment International (DSEi) exhibition, said yesterday that -- unlike landmines -- "cluster bombs are not on the illegal list."

But, she added, "we have suggested they wouldn't be appropriate in the UK. We have asked exhibitors not to bring them. We suggested that cluster bombs would be inappropriate for the UK market, even though (the UK) used them in Iraq."

The desire to present a socially acceptable face of the defense industry marks a new departure for the show, which takes place this year from Sept. 9 to 12. When the UK Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon opens the trade fair, television cameras and the media will be allowed in for the first time.

More 950 exhibitors will be attending. The UK arms industry is worth more than ?5 billion (US$ 7.9 billion) a year and accounts for around 20 percent of world weapons sales. It employs between 70,000 and 150,000 people, and the UK is the world's second largest manufacturer after the US, which has 32 per cent of the market.

Martin Hogbin, of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, said: "Arms fairs are where arms deals take place. It is where people come to network and do deals. The decision on cluster bombs shows that it has become an area of public concern. Just because they have been asked not to sell them there doesn't mean they can't do a deal about them later."