The dangers of new wars in the Balkans was spelled out in a recent Financial Times article – new wars that might be fought using a deplorably low level of weapons technology. Pauline Neville-Jones, a member of the International Commission on the Balkans, warned that 'Kosovo stands on the edge of renewed conflict.' Worthy peace making, you might think, until we read on and see that Neville-Jones is chair of QinetiQ, the recently privatised UK 'defence' research body. Clearly she is worried that the new wars will be fought in the Balkans before the local economies have recovered enough to buy QinteiQ's brand new 'phased-array missile seeker', and will instead waste all their precious war-time on killing each other with old fashioned AK47 rifles and mortars.

'A Balkan rethink is required before it is too late', Pauline Neville-Jones, Financial Times, June 5 2005

For more information on QinetiQ, see Campaign Against the Arms Trade on www.caat.org.uk/information/publications/companies/quinetiq.php