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Berlin (dpa) - Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) has asked Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) to take action in the coalition-internal dispute over arming Bundeswehr drones.

“The ammunition for the armed drones can only be obtained through a 25 million euro bill, which the budget committee has to decide on.

This template has been unprocessed for weeks by the Federal Finance Minister, who is also the SPD candidate for chancellor, ”said Kramp-Karrenbauer of“ Welt am Sonntag ”.

Scholz has not yet approved the template, although the budget is available in the defense budget, criticized the CDU chairwoman.

«That is why the parliament cannot decide yet.

Olaf Scholz is in demand here. "

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The Union and the SPD have long been discussing whether and how drones should be armed.

The SPD chairman Norbert Walter-Borjans and parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich recently announced the need for further discussion and put the armament on hold for the time being, which is causing outrage among the coalition partners of the CDU and CSU.

Vice Chancellor Scholz and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (both SPD), however, supported the delay in the decision.

The Bundeswehr has so far only used drones, i.e. remote-controlled aircraft without a crew, for reconnaissance purposes.

The current debate is about whether the new Heron TP drones, which are soon to be delivered by Israel to the Bundeswehr, should be armed.

Kramp-Karrenbauer described the SPD's arguments that there was too little discussion as "absurd".

It has been debated in Germany for eight years, and all the arguments are on the table.

"We have formulated operational principles that stipulate that armed drones may only be used defensively by the Bundeswehr, i.e. to protect their own people," emphasized Kramp-Karrenbauer.

For the second time, the SPD is backing down.

"The soldiers obviously cannot rely on the SPD."

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Mützenich campaigned for an arms control agreement to limit the spread of armed drones.

"I want international discussions about whether arms control for drones is possible at the level of the United Nations or the NATO states," said the SPD parliamentary group leader in the editorial network Germany (Sunday).

He basically follows the development of new weapon technologies with skepticism.

"In the past, new technologies have often led to new arms control instruments."

He called on Kramp-Karrenbauer to address the issue in NATO.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201227-99-822854 / 2

Ministry of Defense to Heron TP