German-Saudi experts lose interest in buying German weapons | Politics...

In an interview with German News Agency (DPA), Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Al-Jubeir criticized Berlin’s ban on arms exports to his country, describing the decision as “wrong” and “illogical.” However, at the same time, he stressed that his country does not need to supply weapons from Germany. “The idea of ​​stopping arms sales to Saudi Arabia because of the Yemen war, I think is illogical … We think that this is a mistake because we believe that the war in Yemen is a legitimate war. It is a war that we were forced to fight.” Al-Jubeir’s comments came at a time when the debate on this issue returned to decision-making circles in Brain. Under the headline “Saudi Arabia is losing interest in German weapons,” “Mindner Tagblatt” (November 15, 2020) wrote, referring to what he said, “Germany’s decision is sovereign and we respect it,” adding that Riyadh can buy weapons in other countries.

On the same subject, the T-Online website wrote (November 15, 2020), “The Social Democratic Party (a partner in the government coalition led by Merkel) is pressing for an extension of the ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia at least until the end of the legislative period in the fall of next year (.. The export ban will extend until December 31st. The site added that Berlin must decide soon to extend the embargo, which includes all countries participating “directly” in the Yemen war. The ban began to be strictly implemented against Saudi Arabia after November 2018, following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate General in Istanbul.

Shadows of the Yemen war on the German-Saudi relations

The coalition led by Chancellor Angela Merkel faced a major challenge regarding the relationship with Saudi Arabia, not only because of the Yemen war but also regarding Riyadh’s new policy in the region in general. The decision to ban the sale of weapons to the countries participating in the Yemen war, at the time, sparked political and media controversy, especially since Riyadh was one of the main customers of German weapons.

According to the latest report of the “Sipri” Institute for Peace Research, the Kingdom is the largest importer of weapons in the world. Between 2015 and 2019, it bought 12% of all arms imports in the world. The US arms industry in particular benefited from the Saudi market, accounting for 73 percent of the kingdom’s purchases. Al-Jubeir added, “We can buy weapons from a number of countries, and we are doing that. Saying that we will not sell weapons to Saudi Arabia does not make a difference to us.” He also stressed that the Kingdom is the largest importer of weapons in the world. “I’m just saying people need to look at this in a balanced way,” he added.

Despite the ban – criticism of the German government continues

A study published last summer by the Leibniz Institute of the Hessian Foundation for Peace and Conflict Research (PRIF), commissioned by Greenpeace, criticized what it called “a systematic violation by German governments of arms sales rules.” The study confirmed that Germany continued to sell arms to conflict and war zones, especially to the so-called “third countries”, meaning countries that do not belong to the European Union or NATO.

Alexander Lors, a disarmament expert at Greenpeace (ZIT Online, 19 June 2020) confirmed that “German weapons are systematically appearing in war zones and in the hands of tyrants.” What is urgently needed is a strict arms export law that bans exports to third countries and ends this deliberate and systematic undermining of export guidelines, he said.

The study relied on eight European Union criteria that must be taken into account when approving arms export permits. Among other things, there is the criterion of “respect for the state of final destination, the principles of human rights and international humanitarian law (…), and the maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region.” According to the study, Germany violated the eight criteria “on a large scale.”

Berlin affirms that it follows a “restrictive” export policy“

The principles governing the policy of exporting German military weapons to third countries go back to 1971. However, the export is nonetheless possible “in certain cases, if the interests of Germany’s special foreign or security policy require this, in addition to taking into account the interests of the allies, in this case permits can be issued Exceptional. ” In comparison with the record increase in German arms exports for 2019 (5.4 billion euros), export licenses generally decreased in the first nine months of this year, and it is expected that they will not exceed (4.1 billion euros).

In the first four months to April of 2020, Germany exported war arms worth more than 492 million euros. The value of exports to NATO countries amounted to about 182 million euros, and about 51.6 million to the European Union countries. The German Ministry of Economy and Energy affirmed that “Arms exports are not an instrument of economic policy and are not exports like others. Therefore, the German government has imposed particularly strict rules on itself in this sensitive area and is pursuing a licensing policy with tight restrictions.” Germany is working to “contribute to securing peace and human rights, preventing violence and achieving sustainable development in the world by limiting and controlling German arms exports.”

G20 summit – Oxfam condemns arming the parties to the Yemen war

According to data from the relief organization “Oxfam”, the G20 countries fueled the Yemen war with far more arms shipments than they did by funding humanitarian aid. According to an analysis by the organization published on Tuesday (November 17, 2020), the leading industrialized and emerging countries have exported more than $ 17 billion worth of weapons to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since the Gulf state became a party to the Yemen war in 2015. This amount is three times what the G20 would collect To provide humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by the civil war in Yemen.

Taking into account the other members of the Saudi-led military coalition, the value of weapons that the G20 exported to the parties to the conflict between 2015 and 2019 amounted to at least $ 31.4 billion. This represents more than five times the humanitarian aid provided by the G20 countries to Yemen since 2015.

Saudi Arabia maintains the option of nuclear weapons against Iran

Al-Jubeir not only criticized Berlin, but also stressed that his country reserves the right to arm itself with nuclear weapons if Iran cannot be prevented from making those weapons. “It is definitely an option,” he added, noting that if Iran becomes a nuclear power, more countries will follow suit. “Saudi Arabia has made clear that it will do its utmost to protect its people and protect its lands,” he said. Iran has been using nuclear energy for decades, and in 2015 signed a nuclear agreement with world powers to stop developing a nuclear bomb in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. But US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the deal and brought it to the brink of failure. His administration wants a long-term program and an end to Iran’s regional interference, a position that Saudi Arabia supports. “We believe that the Iranians only responded to the pressure,” Al-Jubeir said. And about the changes that may come during the era of US President-elect Joe Biden, he said: “We must see.”

The German Welt website reviewed on (November 17, 2020) the implications of the “competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran for influence in the Near and Middle East in a region where conflicts and bloody wars such as Syria and Yemen are accumulating.” The newspaper added that “Iran has worked to develop a nuclear program for decades.” I recalled the 2015 nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic and the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. ”However, President Donald Trump’s administration withdrew from the agreement.

The German website “Online” wrote in turn, commenting on the subject (November 17, 2020) that “Saudi Arabia does not know a nuclear program, nor has a nuclear power plant found in the Kingdom yet. However, Riyadh announced that it intends to build 16 nuclear reactors over the course of twenty For the next 25 years, at a cost of about 80 billion US dollars, the Kingdom seeks to cover its growing energy needs through the civilian use of nuclear energy as well as the use of smaller reactors to desalinate sea water.

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