Italy Canceled Six Arms Deals to Saudi Arabia, UAE

Italy announced, on Friday, that permits to export weapons to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been completely canceled, due to their participation in the war on Yemen. “The government canceled licenses to export missiles and bombs to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as of Friday,” Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said.

In a post on social media, the Italian minister affirmed his country’s close commitment to respecting human rights, stressing that the suspension decision is “a correct step and a clear message of peace from Italy.” The permits were granted to sell airborne bombs and missiles at a time when they were being used in the Yemen war.

The Italian government’s decision relates to 6 permits, one of which was to export 12,000 bombs to Saudi Arabia with a contract worth 400 million euros. This development comes in light of a decision taken in the Italian parliament last December to cancel the renewal of these permits.

For their part, several international organizations active in the field of non-armament stimulation, such as the Italian Peace and Non-Armament Network, Amnesty International and Protect Children, have welcomed the Italian government’s decision.

This comes two days after the new US administration headed by Joe Biden, temporarily suspended many of the military deals that the Trump administration concluded with the UAE, including the F-35 fighter jets.

Source: Websites.