Rift between UK and US over bomb transport.

No links yet but Sky News is reporting that the UK has made a complaint to the US over weapon transport through the UK to Israel. The below transcript is a section from Sky News Active of the tv.

UK Foriegn Secretary Margaret Beckett has protested to the US about it's use of a Scottish airport to transport bombs to Israel.

She is said to have directly talked to the US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice about it.

In an unusual departure from the usual diplomatic niceties, Mrs Beckett used a tv interview to reveal that she had accused Washington of breaking international agreements.

BBC 2's Newsnight later reported that the US had lodged requests to route 2 more planes thhrough Britain. It said they would be carrying bombs and missiles over to Israel over the next fortnight.

Mrs Beckett's remarks follow days of pressure on the government to take a more critical stance over the Middle East crisis.

It emerged yesterday that two US transport planes (A130's i believe) carrying "bunker busting" bombs had refuelled at Prestwick en route to Israel at the weekend. There were apparently as much as 100 of these bombs on board the planes.

News source: missile rift

By the looks of it, this is'nt exactly a major rift at the moment, more a case of the US not "dotting the i's and crossing the t's" with paperwork regarding the useage of UK airports and transport of the missiles.

Sky News are saying that whilst entire blocks are being wiped out by Israel causing numerous of innocent casualties, the UK is slightly reluctant to be associated with this by way of allowing hundreds of bunker busters to be delivered via thier airports.

I'm just a little suprised that our government has aired this somewhat minor complaint so publicly. It's as though they are trying to please both sides at the same time.

I wonder if this is as far as the "rift" and protest against the US support for Israel's actions will go as far as the UK is concerned? It would be a mighty shame to cause tension between such good allies.

CX.

[edit on 27/7/06 by CX]

[edit on 27/7/06 by CX]

There's been tension between the US and the UK for ages now. Tony Blair, being the good old peacemaker that he is, is always trying to play it down and is now constantly getting shafted by GW Bush. The UK public don't like this. They've been calling for an argument for ages. The news knows this. They play on it.

However something's going to have to be the last straw. And knowing stupid old bushy, he's probably going to take that one step too far. Then it'll be handbags at dawn. Between Bush and Blair. And my money's on Blair.

Blair will probably give Bush abit of a grilling. Bush needs the UK support over Israel, because without it, UK would join up with the Euro bloc who are against the extreme force being used.

America might look to the UK with thankful eyes over the support that Blair has given the Bush administration, but the UK public and voters are starting to get very worried about American influence (a recent poll confirmed that). This news could be the one could push the us away from America ("enough, is enough") and probably make us work on our ties with Europe

[edit on 27-7-2006 by infinite]

I wonder if this is as far as the "rift" and protest against the US support for Israel's actions will go as far as the UK is concerned? It would be a mighty shame to cause tension between such good allies

The U.S. have overstepped the mark with these flights comming in and out of Scotland, They need to apologise first of all for not obtaining permission to land at prestwick, which airport is next Edinburgh or Glasgow??....

Plus it is basically the matter for them not filling in some forms/paper work, if they had done that then there would not have been a problem, Bad in the British Publics eyes. It is a little ironic after this they have requested more flights to pass through Scottish Airspace onwards to Israel, Now what would happen if any of these planes carrying these weapons should happen to Crash in a residential area, That is my main concern.

I think Bush will be eatin a little humble pie when him and Blair meets next. But as per usual it will be brushed under the carpet no big deal will be made out of it between the two.



It is the other politicians who will cause a storm over it though, Already there are MSP's in Scotland demanding that the flights are stopped as of now.

But I did not know prestwick airport has been used by the U.S. for years for stop overs, rest etc, before continuin to their destination.

on Tues. 25th of July, www.asharqalawsat.com reported that
the 100 or so 'bunker buster' bombs (destined for Israel),
were actually being delivered from Qatar

its a simple matter of paperwork mismanagement causing the
ruckus in Britan...
evidently someone did not put the correct destination on the
flight manifests, and apparently munitions going directly to
Isreal thru UK ports/air terminals is against policy & treaties...

SNAFU is the common term, this incident too, will blow over
with no harm to the US-UK friendship & collaboration

Yeah but this rift was gonna come sooner or later, Alot of politicians, and the British public are fed up with blair always saying yes to the Bush Administration every time they click their fingers. And it is getting out of hand.

its a simple matter of paperwork mismanagement causing the its a simple matter
ruckus in Britan evidently someone did not put the correct destination on the
flight manifests, and apparently munitions going directly to
Isreal thru UK ports/air terminals is against policy & treaties...

Oh this may be true but I can guarantee you that there is a little storm in a tea cup brewing over this, and it is just gonna get bigger if the UK Gov does not take a stand and tell the U.S. off got being naughty , but I agree with ya it should blow over in the next couple of days hopefully.

Wow...this info sure contradicts the thread on here about how the UK is about to attack Iran and Syria.

It is funny how the Presidential spokeperson has dismissed concerns over them using prestwick airport as a stop over, before going to israel with their cargo of bombs how ironic of them.

Asked whether Britain was uncomfortable about such shipments, Mr Snow replied: "I'm not sure that's the case, because these sorts of things have happened before and probably are going to happen again.

I am glad he thinks so. While at the same time the lil storm in the tea cup I was on about is getting bigger.... here in scotland.. a hell of alot of people are angry and annoyed at the UK Gov and the US Gov for even allowing this to happen in the first place. As one Civillian said and I quote:

"It makes us a target"

This is not going to go away until the U.S. either apologises of the flights are stopped, feels alot of protests in the Pipeline.

news.bbc.co.uk...

www.sky.com...

Maybe's you scots are getting a little steamed but as I stated before, little peacemaker Blair won't allow anything to sour this little relationship between the US and the UK.

For some reason Blair seems to like the UK bending over while the US shafts. It stuff like this that should encourage poor old Mark Oaten to return to politics. They're all doing it.

Im sorry but ive been a supporter of US - UK relations for a while, but even i am getting a little tired of the US Gov taking liberties with the relationship between our countries.
I think the final straw came when i heard Bush and Blair talking off camera at the sumit.
Frankly it turned my stomach hearing Blair fawning over Bush like some sick puppy.
Sorry America but the support you guys had from the UK after 9/11 is fast draining away. Is it too much to ask that the US Gov fills in the right paperwork for Christ Sake?

Update on this, the UK Gov were challenged by the The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), in the High Court over these flights stopping over in the UK before they travelled on to Izrael:

The government did not knowingly assist "acts of terrorism" by allowing US aircraft carrying bombs to Israel to stop at UK airports, a judge has ruled.

A judge in London dismissed a plea by the IHRC for permission to seek a judicial review and an injunction against the government, based on the argument that it was knowingly assisting "acts of terrorism" by Israel in its campaign against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

On Wednesday, Mr Justice Ouseley said at the start of his judgment that the IHRC had failed to establish "an arguable case by a very long way".

Wonder how much political pressure was put upon this Judge to come to this ruling, I still think the UK was in breach of International law, allowing these flights to come in to UK Airspace in the first place.

More on this Article link is below:

news.bbc.co.uk...