It was so secret that it never existed officially, and from March 31 next year, it won’t: the 17 member countries of the Paris-based CoCom Co-ordinating Committee for multi-lateral export controls, set an April 1 deadline to replace the Cold War body that aimed to stop the communist bloc from getting technology that could be diverted to military use with a new grouping to which Russia, China and other former enemies will be invited to join; the new body will draw a more flexible map of banned destinations for sensitive technology; members of the current pact – all 16 NATO countries except Iceland, plus Australia and Japan – will meet Russian officials in the coming days, and fully co-operating countries – Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Ireland, New Zealand and Hong Kong – will also be invited to join the new group, Reuter reports.
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