The Federal Government again supplies weapons to countries that are directly involved in the Yemen War. The Cabinet has approved the export of war material to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others, in the secret Security Council. This is clear from a list of the Federal Ministry of Economics.
Saudi Arabia, for which there has been a stop of arms deliveries following the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, does not get German armaments directly. However, parts will be delivered to a French company that exports the final product to the Kingdom. The coalition had argued for months over such so-called community products.
The controversial export license concerns the Ulm-based transport equipment manufacturer Kamag, which is exporting „technology for semi-trailer production“ to France, whose „final destination“ is in Saudi Arabia.
Three more exports go to the United Arab Emirates. These are accessories for artillery positioning radar systems of the type „Cobra“, which originate from German-French production. There are also software updates for these systems, which are already stationed in the emirate.
The opposition harshly criticized the new permits. „The announced just a few days ago export stop was simply a cynical deception maneuver,“ said the Greens security politician Agnieszka Brugger. „A federal government that so irresponsibly deals with dangerous arms exports must be brought to its senses with a strict and binding arms export law,“ she said.
France had complained about German attitude
The approvals of the German parts for European Community products go back to a compromise that had recently been reached between the SPD and the Union. The dispute has been raging since the conclusion of the coalition agreement, which concretely bans all arms exports to countries involved in the Yemen War.
The foreign ministry, led by Heiko Maas, had initially blocked all exports to all participants in the war coalition in Yemen under pressure from the SPD parliamentary group. The Chancellor’s Office and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, however, at least advocated the export of German components destined for joint armament projects, for example with France or Great Britain.
France, in particular, had complained about the attitude of the German government because important arms exports could not take place because of the lack of parts from Germany. In a notable guest contribution, the French ambassador accused the government of being unreliable.
The dispute over it had burdened the German-French relationship. Now the agreement seems to have been implemented in the grand coalition and at least exports have been approved to a lesser extent.
Antitank weapons at Singapore
In addition, the Federal Security Council has approved, among other things, 18,000 mortars for Indonesia, three Dingo 2 armored wheeled vehicles to Qatar and 3,000 portable anti-tank weapons to Singapore. The volume of export permits has not been quantified by the Ministry of Economy and refers to company secrets.
