Germany set to block tank sale to Saudi Arabia: Report
Iran Press TV
Sun Apr 13, 2014 9:12PM GMT
The German government is set to block selling tanks to Saudi Arabia, a report says citing government sources.
The report by Germany's Bild newspaper on Sunday said a deal to sell up to 800 tanks to the Saudis came amid opposition from Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel.
The first reports about the deal emerged in media two years ago triggering anger among lawmakers from Gabriel's Social Democratic Party (SPD) and other left parties' members who have spoken out against it ever since.
According to the report, Riyadh had budgeted nearly 18 billion euros (25 billion dollars) for the Leopard 2 tanks, manufactured by the firms Kraus-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall.
The Saudi government has repeatedly been criticized by international rights groups for human rights violations inside the country and elsewhere.
On March 14, 2011, Saudi troops invaded Bahrain to assist the Al Khalifa regime in its crackdown on peaceful protesters.
In October 2013, rights group Amnesty International censured Saudi authorities for not addressing the "dire human rights situation" in the kingdom.
The group also handed in a paper to the United Nations, which included information regarding a "new wave of repression against civil society, which has taken place over the last two years."
NT/MAM/AS
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