"Small arms, big problems" says Kofi A. Annan
MP5 is "Weapon of Choice" for Annan Bodyguards;
Bullet-proof BMW for Kofi Annan |
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"MP5 submachine guns - The 'weapon of choice' for many law enforcement and special forces units around the world. Made under licensed production agreements in Greece, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UK."
 UN bodyguards face guns inquiry
By Ben Fenton in Washington
(Filed: 22/02/2002)
THE bodyguards of Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary-general, are under investigation by American officials for allegedly illegally importing and possessing sub-machineguns used to protect him.
The inquiry by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is embarrassing for Mr Annan because last year he launched a campaign against the proliferation of small arms, saying: "There is no single tool of conflict so widespread.
"The Heckler and Koch MP5 sub-machineguns are said to be particularly lethal at short range. They are commonly used by armed police in Britain and around the world.
An official of the ATF told the Washington Times that permission for Mr Annan's 20 bodyguards, who work in shifts, to import or use the guns had not been granted and that they were strictly controlled weapons.Mr Annan's support for gun control measures around the world made him distinctly unpopular with America's National Rifle Association and other powerful supporters of the right to bear arms, including the White House.
The UN denied any wrongdoing yesterday. The appropriate permissions had been obtained before the guns were taken into America, a spokesman said. |
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America snubs UN over curbs on gun trade
By Toby Harnden in Washington
(Filed: 11/07/2001)
THE Bush administration has told the United Nations that it will oppose international plans to curb the sale of small arms if they threaten to undermine the American right to bear arms.
John Bolton, Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control, told a hushed UN gathering in New York: "The United States believes that the responsible use of firearms is a legitimate aspect of national life."
Americans did not find all guns "problematic" and did not want to prohibit all private individuals from buying arms, which "would preclude assistance to an oppressed non-state group defending itself from a genocidal government", he said.
His strong words pitted America against some of its closest allies, including Britain which, an embassy spokesman said, favoured "a comprehensive, politically binding agreement of action that covers the transfer, making and tracing and destruction of small arms".
The spokesman stressed, however, that a deal had yet to be finalised and Britain supported the US position on the need for stronger export regulations in many countries.
Mr Bolton told the conference, aimed at cutting arms trafficking, that America had a "cultural tradition of hunting and sport shooting" and would "not join consensus on a final document that contains measures abrogating the constitutional right to bear arms".
This was interpreted by many UN delegates as evidence of US contempt for the UN and hostility to international agreements. The European Union fears that America, the world's largest arms producer, will side with China, Russia and India, which want looser arms controls.
| By Christopher Tan Business Times Nov. 28, 2001
Bullet-proof BMW for Kofi Annan UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan received the keys to a new, bullet-proof car on Monday, reported AP. The armoured black BMW 750iL was offered to Mr Annan to replace a bullet-proof Volvo that he has used for several years, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said. Helmut Panke, a member of the BMW board, presented the car along with a US$10,000 cheque to the United Nations Children's Fund. |
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What is Heckler & Koch?
ARMS TRADE RESOURCE CENTER
http://www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arms/reports/smallarms.htm#hk
Heckler
& Koch/Royal Ordnance
BAE Systems
Company History
and Products
Heckler & Koch (H&K) is a subsidiary of Royal Ordnance,
which is owned by the BAE Systems (formerly known as British Aerospace).
BAE has owned Royal Ordnance since 1987. Royal Ordnance acquired
the German small arms company, Heckler & Koch, in 1991. Heckler
& Koch manufactures a variety of small arms, from pistols and
submachine guns to automatic rifles and grenade launchers. The small
arms are produced by Heckler & Koch in Germany and the UK. Royal
Ordnance employs about 4,000 people and exports weapons and technology
to over 50 countries.
Royal Ordnance
and Heckler & Koch produce/have produced:
- 7.62 mm
L1A1 rifle - A modified version of the Belgian FN Fusil Automatique
Léger (FN FAL), no longer manufactured in the United Kingdom.
It has been produced under license in Australia and Canada. A
similar model is being produced at the Rifle Factory in Ishapore,
India.
- 5.56 mm
L85A1 rifle and L86A1 Light Support Weapon -The L85A1
was in production between 1985 and 1994, and nearly 324,000 of
these rifles have been produced. Development of the weapon is
continuing. Production of the L86A1 Light Support Weapon ceased
after 23,000 copies were manufactured. The L86A1 is manufactured
in the UK and is used by the British Army, small numbers have
been sold to other nations, including Jamaica.
- Sterling
9 mm L2A3 sub-machine gun - The L2A3 was produced in the United
Kingdom between 1953 and 1988. A similar model, named Sub-Machine
Gun Carbine 9mm 1A1 is produced under license by Indian Ordnance
Factories, Kanphur. The L2A3 was manufactured at the Sterling
Armament Company at Dagenham, and at the Royal Ordnance Factory
at Fazackerley. A similar model was also produced under license
by the Canadian Arsenals Limited under the name 9 mm C1 Sub-Machine
Gun. Approximately 90 countries bought the gun in different quantities.
Main buyers were Canada (under license), Ghana, India (under license),
Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Tunisia and some Arabian Gulf states.
The L2A3 is no longer in service with the UK armed forces, but
the silenced version L3A4 is held as reserve weapon by the British
army.
- 81 mm L16A2
mortar - The mortar is still being produced in the UK. Similar
models are produced in Japan by Howa, and in the US by Watervliet
Arsenals, under the name 81mm M252 mortar. Over 5000 of these
weapons have been produced by Royal Ordnance and are in service
in many countries including: Austria, Bahrain, Belize, Brazil,
Canada, Guyana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, United Arab Emirates,
United Kingdom, Yemen. The US Army and Marine Corps use the US
model M252.
- MP5 submachine
guns - The 'weapon of choice' for many law enforcement and
special forces units around the world. Made under licensed production
agreements in Greece, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey,
and the UK.
H&K is partnering
with Alliant Tech Systems of the US and five other international
firms to develop the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW)
for the U.S. military. The OICW is being marketed as 'two weapons
in one,' with one barrel that shoots a 5.56 mm shell and acts like
an M-16 for close-range fighting, and a second barrel that fires
20 mm air-burst shells that function like small grenades. This new
high-tech weapon is expected to be available in 2007 at a cost of
$10,000 to $12,000 each.
In addition to
the countries listed above, Heckler & Koch guns are also made
under license (or have been) in Thailand and Burma. These licensed
production agreements raise serious concerns over the inconsistencies
with individual countries export controls. For instance, Peter Abel
points out in Running Guns that H&K MP5 weapons were
showing up in Bosnia and Serbia, breaching the UN arms embargo levied
in 1991. "Prior to the UN embargo, it was not illegal for UK firms
to export to Yugoslavia, although it was for German firms." Abel
notes that, "In a pattern that would be repeated with license production
in other countries, neither company technically had broken its national
laws, but H&K weapons had ended up in a conflict zone."
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