Italy to stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia

source : Middle East Monitor

December 29, 2018 at 5:09 pm | Published in: Europe & Russia, Italy, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte [Laurentiius/Twitter]

December 29, 2018 at 5:09 pm

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said yesterday that his country is planning to stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Answering a question during a traditional end-of-year press conference held in the Italian capital Rome, Conte said that his government plans to formalise a decision soon, Anadolu Agencyreported.

“We are not in favour of the sale of these weapons and so now it is only a question of formalising this position and acting accordingly,” Conte explained, answering a question about whether Italy would continue arms sales to Saudi Arabia in light of its war in Yemen and involvement in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October.

Khashoggi’s death caused global outrage against Saudi Arabia, with the CIA recently reaching the conclusion that Khashoggi was killed following a direct order from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS). However, US President Donald Trump doubted the CIA’s findings, stressing that MBS is a longstanding partner of the United States.

Several other countries have ceased arms sales to Saudi Arabia in the wake of Khashoggi’s murder, including Germany, Denmark and Austria.