Denmark Suspends Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia over Yemen War, Khashoggi Murder

Local Editor

Denmark’s foreign minister said Thursday, November 22 that the country will suspend exports of military equipment to Saudi Arabia due to concerns over the situation in Yemen and the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“In view of the continuing worrying situation in Yemen, the case of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and recent discussions among the E.U. foreign ministers, I have decided Denmark will suspend the export approval of arms to Saudi Arabia,” Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen tweeted.

It further mentioned that “Denmark already has very restrictive practices in this area, but I hope that the Danish decision can create further momentum and get more EU countries to support tight implementation of the EU’s regulatory framework in this area.”

The foreign ministry is a consultative party in decisions to grant permits for Danish companies to export military equipment. The National Police are responsible for deciding arms permits, while the Danish Enterprise Agency issues dual-use export permits.

The ministry did not immediately reply to a request for details on Denmark’s arms exports to Saudi Arabia, but the Information, a Danish newspaper, reported in June 2017 that Denmark sold technology to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States could allow them to monitor critics.

According to the report, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, a subsidiary of the U.K.’s BAE Systems, sold the equipment with the approval of the Danish government. The company sold technology that allowed “IP surveillance and data analysis for use in national security and investigation of serious crimes,” the newspaper said.

Denmark is the latest country to review its exports to the kingdom as international attention focuses on Yemen prompted by the October murder of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and warnings that the humanitarian situation for millions of Yemenis could worsen.

Germany on Tuesday bowed to pressure to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia and cancelled a deal for the delivery of 20 warships. Germany’s arms exports to Saudi Arabia topped $105 million last year.

On November 9, Norway said it would freeze all defense material export licenses to Saudi Arabia, including those for dual-use items.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team