US weapons flights through Prestwick will continue

Published on Tuesday 1 August 2006 00:56

US FLIGHTS carrying weapons to Israel will continue to call at British airports, including Prestwick, a minister said yesterday.

David Cairns, a Scotland Office minister, is the first member of the government to confirm publicly the UK will authorise more military deliveries.

Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, last week criticised the US over two flights carrying bombs that had stopped at Prestwick. But officials later revealed that Mrs Beckett had only objected to an apparent US failure to follow UK aviation rules, not to the principle of the delivery.

Mr Cairns told BBC Radio Scotland: "We are bound by international conventions and provided that the correct procedure is followed - which it wasn't initially - then we will allow these things to continue."

He added: "I understand why people are concerned about this ... but I cannot say that our airports will never be used for this sort of activity ever again."

On Sunday, hundreds of protesters rallied at Prestwick. Yesterday, 30 activists gathered at RAF Mildenhall after two US flights carrying "hazardous" cargoes had landed there.