Testimony of
The Honorable Peter Lichtenbaum
Acting Under Secretary for Industry and Security
United States Department of Commerce
Before the House Armed Services Committee
and the House International Relations Committee
on the “EU Arms Embargo Against
Chairman Hunter, Chairman Hyde, Members of the Committees:
Thank you
for the opportunity to testify today on the EU’s arms embargo against
The Administration is very concerned
about the national security implications of sensitive technology transfers to
The Administration’s opposition to
the lifting of the EU arms embargo is consistent with
As background, the organization that
I lead, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, is
responsible for implementing dual-use export controls. Dual-use commodities are commercial items
that, while not designed for use as weapons, delivery systems, or for terrorist
purposes, have the potential for these types of misuses. Sensitive dual-use items are on the Commerce
Control List (CCL), which tracks, but also goes beyond,
BIS works with the interagency
community (including the Departments of State, Defense, Energy, Homeland
Security, and Justice) to promote and defend the national security of the
Under current law and regulations,
almost all exports and reexports of dual-use
In the licensing process, BIS and
other agencies evaluate the risk of diversion of the item to military or
proliferation-related end-uses. If there
are questions about the bona fides of the end-use/end-user, BIS conducts
pre-license checks and post-shipment checks to reduce the risk of diversion of
items and technology for an end-use other than the authorized end-use. In 2004, we reached an end-use visit
understanding with
The
For more than a year, members of the
EU have raised the possibility of lifting the embargo on military sales to
While we
acknowledge efforts by European and Chinese officials to enhance their mutual
ties and cooperation, we strongly believe that lifting the arms embargo is not
warranted either by progress by China in the area of human rights or on
security grounds. Indeed, we believe
that lifting the arms embargo could have a destabilizing effect in the
region. We have made these concerns
known to our European allies on multiple occasions. The President and Secretary of State Rice
have raised it with their counterparts.
Senior-level delegations from the State Department and the Pentagon have
visited many EU countries to discuss this issue.
We know that the future of the EU
arms embargo is still under consideration.
The Administration will continue to discuss this important issue with EU
governments to ensure that any decisions the EU takes will not undermine our
shared goals of regional stability and respect for human rights.
The Administration appreciates the
bipartisan congressional statements opposing the lifting of the arms embargo
and making clear the consequences of such action. Such statements have made clear to our
European allies the importance of this issue to the
The
Thank you.