Germany stops arms exports to Yemen combatants - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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#14881288
Great news for British and American arms dealers. They can now export more arms to fuel their proxy wars.


Germany stops arms exports to Yemen combatants

20 Jan 2018

Germany will stop all arms exports to countries involved in the ongoing war in Yemen, a government spokesperson has announced.

The decision, announced on Friday by a spokesperson for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, comes as political parties including Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) continue to hold talks about forming a coalition government following the German federal election last September.

Germany "isn't taking any arms exports decisions right now that aren't in line with the results of the preliminary talks", Steffan Seibert, a spokesperson for Merkel, said in a post on Twitter.

The move is expected to affect Germany's weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, which totalled almost 450 million euro ($550m) in the third fiscal quarter of 2017, according to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

Saudi Arabia has been at war in Yemen since March 2015, when a coalition led by the oil-rich kingdom launched a campaign of aerial bombardment aimed at countering Houthi rebels, who are widely believed to be backed by Iran, and reinstating the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Amnesty Gulf, a branch of the Amnesty International rights group, praised Germany's decision and called on other countries to do the same.

"Good news! Germany halts arms exports to parties to the conflict in #Yemen. [The] US, UK, France and all other states selling arms to the #Saudi-led coalition must halt arms sales now!," the organisation said Friday in a post on Twitter.

Amnesty Gulf
@amnestygulf
Good news! Germany halts arms exports to parties to the conflict in #Yemen.

US, UK, France and all other states selling arms to the #Saudi-led coalition must halt arms sales now!


The UK has licensed more than 4.6 billion pounds ($6.3bn) worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the war in Yemen began, according to the UK-based Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).

A recent UN report on human rights abuses related to foreign intervention in Yemen documented a number of civilian casualties inflicted by Saudi-led coalition bombing.

The panel examined 10 air attacks in 2017 that killed 157 people and found that the targets included a migrant boat, a motel and five residential buildings, according to a copy of the report seen by Al Jazeera.

According to the Geneva-based SAM Organisation for Rights and Liberties, some 450 civilians were killed in Yemen during December 2017.

The killings were part of 1,937 violations committed throughout the country during December, including physical assaults, violation to press freedom, torture and arbitrary detention, a January 17 report by the organisation said.

The violations were perpetrated by "Houthis militia, Arab Coalition air force, military formations and groups loyal to the legitimate government", the report said.

The group condemned "all crimes included in this report which are considered as gross violations of the international humanitarian law and human rights law".

To date, more than 10,000 people have died during the war in Yemen and more than two million people have been displaced since fighting broke out, according to the UN.
#14881291
$450 million is a piss in the pond as far as the German economy is concerned. This seems like a reasonable price for the abatement of the baggage associated with the sales.

With a little bit of luck, it could somehow affect the market. Further concentration of arms production may for instance have the propensity to be catalysts for chronic supply shortages, leading to uncontrolled price increases, causing the act of waging war to be more costly.
#14881653
skinster wrote:I heard another European country did this too but can't remember which.


I believe it was Greece the one you had in mind. It came up a couple of months ago and it became an issue since the EU sanctions got involved and Germany is probably simply following on the same precedent.
#14881710
The Greek arms sales to Saudi Arabia wasn't canceled. It was frozen pending corruption investigation against the minister of defense.

Syriza said that it would abide by an EU arms embargo "IF it WERE imposed," knowing full well that it won't be. The EP has called for an arms embargo, but since it will be vetoed in the Council by one or more members, that will not happen.

Yemen: MEPs renew their call for an EU arms embargo against Saudi Arabia

The German Social Democrats have always opposed arms sales to the Saudis, and since they are in a coalition government, they have blocked most requests for sales in recent years. In fact, during last year's state visit, both sides agreed that the Saudis would no longer ask for German weapons.
#14881717
Crantag wrote:I don't think anyone should be selling arms to Saudi Arabia for its war in Yemen.

But the world being as it is, it can be somewhat justified for the Greeks, because growth-abating political-economic decisions are better not taken during times of solvency crisis.

It's just a few millions worth of surplus ammunition, which could, however, find its way directly to the fighting in Yemen, while not doing much for the Greek economy.

And if the allegation of corruption in this case are confirmed, the damage is likely to be far bigger.
#14881718
Atlantis wrote:It's just a few millions worth of surplus ammunition, which could, however, find its way directly to the fighting in Yemen, while not doing much for the Greek economy.

And if the allegation of corruption in this case are confirmed, the damage is likely to be far bigger.

Oh, than I see your point.

I don't really understand the European scene as I might like, probably shouldn't really shoot from the hip on it.

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