Merkel Defends Reported Multi-billion-euro Saudi Tank Deal
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday defended her government's silence on a reported secret deal to sell hundreds of tanks to Saudi Arabia, and said she was committed to democracy in the region.
"Deliberation and decisions by the federal security council are secret for good reason," she told the daily Mittelbayerische Zeitung, referring to the panel including the chancellor and top ministers that rules on arms exports.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly about to buy 200 Leopard-2s, Germany's main battle tank which is also produced under license in Spain, for a multi-billion-euro sum.
Germany, which for more than 20 years has declined to sell such heavy weapons to Saudi Arabia because of concerns over human rights and fears for Israel's security, has refused to officially confirm the reports citing a secrecy policy on such deals.
Opposition politicians and even members of Merkel's ruling center-right coalition have slammed the reported tank sale, particularly in light of democratic uprisings throughout the Middle East.
Selling tanks to Saudi Arabia at a time when that country has sent armored vehicles to help put down a peaceful protest movement in neighboring Bahrain is "a slap in the face for freedom movements in the whole region," Social Democrat parliamentary deputy leader Gernot Erler said this week.
Merkel insisted in the interview that her administration was "of course doing its part to continue to support democratic development in North Africa and the Middle East together with our partners.”
When asked about criticism of Berlin's secrecy on a delicate issue, she said her administration was following official guidelines.
"Transparency about exported weapons and other armaments is assured because every year a detailed arms export report is published which is also given to the Bundestag" lower house of parliament, she said.
Opposition deputies were to present motions to the Bundestag Friday demanding Berlin call off the deal.
The Green party said it would file a lawsuit against unnamed executives at the tank manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann in a move to force the German government to shed light on the matter.
A parliamentary whip, Volker Beck, told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that the suit was based on suspicion that selling the tanks to Riyadh would violate arms export laws.
08 July 2011, 11:37
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The reason so few people criticize Israeal's genocidal racism is that they are mostly all waiting for each other to get so angry that a massive pogrom takes place, since they are individually too scared and too in love with their bribes to criticize it in the least (so as to work off some of their humiliation and resentment). Israel itself seems to be aware of, even to be banking on, this phenomenon, trading long-term disaster for short-term hegemony. There once was a woman from Niger (pronounced for this limerick as "Nei-jer"), who went for a ride on a tiger. They came back from the ride with the woman inside and a smile on the face of the tiger.
08 July 2011, 13:30
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Did you read this article? Did you notice that it does not mention Israel anywhere and is not related to that?
08 July 2011, 14:03
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Obviously he didn't read it. Israel, (while briefly mentioned in this article) is misused by all and by Ruchlau as the center of interest of world leaders. This wooly thinking is a fashion. On the contrary, the article specifically questions the sale in view of Saudi's attack on Bahrain's Chiites and of the fact that the sale was kept secret and may violate export control laws. The real reason, I suspect is that some German politicians want to get notoriety, even at the expense of Germany by making a fuss over this.
08 July 2011, 15:22
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win win for the West, make money selling arms to despots, despots keep your oil flowing using tanks to stiffle democracy.
tyrants suck whether the old men running the Gulf states or the turbaned Rat now running Lebanon.
