Germany approves €400m of Saudi arms sales despite ban 

Germany’s federal government approved arms deliveries to Saudi-led forces in Yemen worth around €400 million ($450 million) during its first year in office, despite a partial export ban, dpa has learned.

The government issued 208 permits to the eight participating countries during its first 12 months, it said in response to a question from Green party lawmaker Omid Nouripour.

Germany’s coalition government agreed to ban arms sales to countries involved in the Yemen conflict in March last year, but allowed existing orders to be fulfilled.

After the killing in October of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Berlin also blocked sales that had been previously approved.

The issue has opened up a split in the German government. Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian allies in the Christian Social Union (CSU) wish to lift the restrictions, pointing to the difficulties caused with major German allies.

Source: dpa