Arms trade/ The move to
halt arms exports is likely to prove popular amongst the German population
Germany has stopped arms exports to one of its biggest buyers, Saudi
Arabia. The instability in the region led Chancellor Angela Merkel and her
ministers to take the decision. The information hasn’t been officially
confirmed.
According to the Bild newspaper, weapons
orders from the Middle Eastern country have either been“rejected, pure and simple,” or they have been deferred for further
consideration. The decision was made by Germany’s Security Council on
Wednesday, which includes Merkel, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel and seven
other ministers.
"According to government sources, the
situation in the region is too unstable to ship arms there," despite
the fact that Saudi Arabia is "one of the most important
clients of Germany's arms industry," with €360 million ($400 million) of
arms shipments authorized in 2013, Bild added.
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