Despite the stop to deliver armaments to Saudi Arabia, the German government does not want to prevent other European nations from exporting weapons systems that Germany is involved in developing. For example, Berlin plans to not veto the SPIEGEL information if Britain sells the jointly developed Eurofighter fighter jet to Saudi Arabia in the next few years.
This emerges from a report to the economic committee of the Bundestag, in which the Federal Government explains its further procedure with regard to the supply stop to Saudi Arabia. The report is available to SPIEGEL.
In the paper, the government promises parliamentarians not to authorize any further export licenses for military equipment into the kingdom. The ban on the permit obviously also applies to components supplied from Germany for armaments produced in other European countries and then exported to Saudi Arabia. The letter states: "In doing so, the Federal Government will closely coordinate with its international, and above all, its European partners."
But there is another kind of arms exports that are not supposed to fall under the ban. These are the components that German arms companies contribute to joint European armaments projects, such as the fighter aircraft Eurofighter and Tornado.
Both aircraft have already been exported to Saudi Arabia in the past. The jets are also used in the Yemen war, which sharply criticizes human rights organizations. The aircraft were exported via the UK, which has less stringent export regulations than Germany.
Merkel wants to hone export guidelines
In this case, the Federal Government must allow the export of components - and it wants to stick to this practice. "Germany has entered into contractual obligations to its European partners," the report said. Under these conditions, "no affiliate will prevent the sale or approval of the sale of any product or system of the Program to any third parties" - in this case, Saudi Arabia.
Arms exports Germany's business with the war
Among other things, this affects spare parts from German production, without which the use in combat operations over Yemen is not possible. But it is also likely to apply to those 48 new Eurofighters that Britain wants to sell to Saudi Arabia. Both countries reached an initial understanding on the deal in March, and the British have so far failed to announce that they intend to cancel the Kashoggi killing export. In this case, the Federal Government would probably not prevent the export of Eurofighter construction components from Germany.
Greens chairman Annalena Baerbock criticizes this behavior sharply. "It is outrageous that it now turns out that more spare parts from Germany can be delivered to Saudi Arabia for the Eurofighter and also new Eurofighter could be sold, in which German components would be installed," said Baerbock the SPIEGEL. "Guideline of German politics must be that there are no arms deliveries to countries, in which human rights violations happen."
Regardless of the dispute over exports to Saudi Arabia, the German government also wants to give its time to the promise to tighten the general export guidelines for products of German arms manufacturers. Chancellor Angela Merkel said in the Bundestag that the reformulation announced in the coalition agreement was in the works, but will be submitted in the first half of 2019.
Within the coalition there are always arguments in the talks about a novella. While the SPD demands restrictive rules, the Union wants to protect German industry to a large extent.