Arms and the men in suits, selling bombs, guns - and euphemisms

[Khephra]

Arms and the men in suits, selling bombs, guns - and euphemisms

Games arcade atmosphere belies the real business being played out

Libby Brooks
Wednesday September 10, 2003
The Guardian

Delegates to the Defence Systems and Equipment International exhibition and conference need not want for sustenance. There are 16 hospitality suites provided by individual companies and 15 eating and drinking venues lining the boulevard that divides the north and south halls of the Docklands ExCel centre

At the morning press briefing, the exhibition's spokesman Paul Beaver explains that the four-day event, hosting around 1,000 arms companies, and representatives from one in three of the world's governments, is an industry fair like any other. "It's a trade show like the motor show."

At the end of the briefing we are provided with a copy of Geoff Hoon's speech for the forthcoming opening ceremony. Journalists would be welcome to join the defence secretary in person, we are told, but there simply isn't room in the conference hall.

Under a pallid autumn sky, delegates are beginning to file through a security screen worthy of Heathrow on amber alert. Once inside, the only real gender balance is to be found on the British military personnel stalls, desperately trying to convince anyone who'll listen that as many women as men enjoy wearing khaki. Elsewhere, the men in suits are distinguishable only by variety of facial hair design. The majority of the black people here are emptying dustbins.

more..........................

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,11026,1038835,00.html

[Khephra]

1. Welcome: this way for cluster bombs

Welcome: this way for cluster bombs

Arms fair fails to stop promotion of controversial weapons

Richard Norton-Taylor
Wednesday September 10, 2003
The Guardian

Cluster weapons were on show yesterday at the opening of Europe's largest arms fair in London Docklands despite an appeal from the organisers to hide them away.

The controversial weapons, which pose a potential threat to civilians because they contain many bomblets which can fail to explode in the initial attack, were on offer at the stand of an Israeli arms company, Israel Military Industries Ltd.

The firm said it could provide new types of cluster weapons, now described as "cargo ammunition". One is called Bomblet M85, which, IMI's catalogue says, has been tested successfully in England.

more...........

http://www.guardian.co.uk/armstrade/story/0,10674,1039088,00.html