Merkel seeks to halt arms exports to Saudi Arabia

Following the confirmation of Jamal Khashoggi's death, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she planned to temporarily halt arms exports to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi king and crown prince offered condolences to Khashoggi's family.

Following German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas's doubts about the propriety of exporting military weapons to Saudi Arabia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she wants to temporarily halt arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

This "cannot be done in the circumstances we are in," Merkel said in Berlin on Sunday evening, October 21, according to AFP.

Following the confirmation of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist critical of the Saudi government, in the country's consulate in Istanbul, the German Green Party called for a change in the country's policy towards Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi king and crown prince offered condolences to Khashoggi's family over his death.

Both King Salman and his powerful crown prince expressed their condolences over Khashoggi's death in phone calls with family members.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir confirmed Khashoggi's killing in the country's consulate in Türkiye and attributed it to "arbitrary factors."

Angela Merkel told a conference of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union party in Berlin that the Khashoggi case “urgently needs more clarification.” She said there had been too much delay in clarifying all aspects of the case and holding those responsible accountable. She called for a coordinated international response to the case.

Meanwhile, EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger has warned against hasty reactions in this regard. He told newspapers in the Funke media group that some decisions on “individual arms exports” could be reversed. But “a fundamental decision should only be taken when either the issue has been clarified comprehensively or it is suspected that Saudi Arabia is covering up the issue.”

He considered Saudi Arabia's explanation for Khashoggi's "murder" insufficient and said it should be clarified whether "this was a normal murder?"

Jürgen Hardt, the foreign policy officer for the Christian Democratic Party of Germany, told the newspaper Passauer Neue Presse: "The coalition agreement of the parties participating in the German government states that we no longer want to approve the export of weapons to Saudi Arabia." However, according to him, there are exceptions in this regard that will remain in place until there is a fundamental change in political relations with Riyadh.

Anton Hofreiter, the head of the Greens faction in the German parliament, called for a “permanent halt to German arms exports to conflict zones and authoritarian governments,” in an interview with AFP. Referring to Merkel’s statements, he said: “If the Chancellor is serious about her statements, all approvals for arms exports to Saudi Arabia must be withdrawn and the entire current arms policy must be reviewed.”

"Murder during a fight"

Riyadh says Jamal Khashoggi, who entered its consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to receive marriage papers, was killed in a “fight” with officers at the consulate. But this explanation has failed to convince many.

US President Donald Trump has accused Saudi Arabia of "lying" and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that he will reveal "the whole truth" in parliament on Tuesday.

Erdogan said he and Trump had called for clarification on the matter in a phone call on Sunday. The White House said Trump also discussed the matter with French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that the country's major arms deal with Saudi Arabia, which includes the export of armored vehicles worth nearly 10 billion euros, may be canceled.

Source: DW