London - A charity said yesterday it had begun legal proceedings against the British government over a delivery of gun spares to Morocco for use in Western Sahara.
In an attempt to block similar sales in the future, the anti-poverty group War on Want filed a complaint at London's High Court alleging the government broke its own rules on ethical arms trading when it approved the deal in 1999.
Mr Robin Cook, who was foreign minister at the time, said early this year a deal to modernise Moroccan arms had been approved because the UN ruled it did not violate a ceasefire in Western Sahara between Morocco and the Polisario Front, which has fought for independence for the territory.