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Eurofighter
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / AFP
According to his spokesman, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) shares the openness of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) to deliveries of Eurofighters to Saudi Arabia. "Yes, the Chancellor shares this assessment," said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on Monday.
Saudi Arabia has taken a "very constructive stance" toward Israel since Oct. 7, Hebestreit said. On that day, Hamas terrorists had invaded Israel. They did not achieve their goal of preventing Saudi Arabia from rapprochement with Israel. "The Saudi Arabian Air Force shot down missiles of the Houthis, which were on their way to Israel, including with Eurofighters. And it is in the light of all these developments that the German government's position on the Eurofighter is to be seen. And this is closely coordinated within the Federal Government."
Fighter jets for Saudi Arabia: Greens outraged by Baerbock's Eurofighter U-turnBy Serafin Reiber
Conflict in the Middle East: German government now open to arms exports to Saudi Arabia after all
German Economics Minister Robert Habeck defended a possible delivery of Eurofighter fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. "The Saudi Arabian defense missiles also protect Israel," the Green politician and vice chancellor told ARD and ZDF. The peace processes in the region also depend on "Saudi Arabia positioning itself in a well-disposed manner towards Israel - and they are happy to do so." Habeck admitted that the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia still "does not meet our standards at all". In this respect, the situation is ambivalent, but different from five or six years ago.
Arms exports to Saudi Arabia are controversial because of the human rights situation in the kingdom and because of the intervention of the emerging military power in regional conflicts. In July, the German government decided to stop the delivery of Eurofighters to the wealthy Gulf state until the end of the parliamentary term in autumn 2025. The fighter jets are a joint European project in which Germany is involved and therefore has the right to veto export decisions. They are manufactured in Great Britain, which would be willing to ship to Saudi Arabia. According to unconfirmed reports, 48 jets are involved.
The chairwoman of the Defence Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, had previously reacted cautiously to the possible opening to the delivery of Eurofighters to Saudi Arabia. "Anyone who exports Eurofighter to Saudi Arabia must also immediately deliver the Taurus to Ukraine," the FDP politician told the German Press Agency in Berlin on Monday. "Security policy also needs a compass of values."
Some Greens angered by U-turn
Meanwhile, various Green politicians had criticised the looming U-turn in the delivery of Eurofighters to Saudi Arabia. Green Party leader Ricarda Lang said on RBB Inforadio that the situation has changed since the Islamist Hamas attack on Israel, "because Saudi Arabia is taking on a different role than many would have believed it to play years ago, and is also supporting Israel here." In view of the human rights situation and the internal constitution of Saudi Arabia, however, she still finds a delivery of Eurofighters wrong. "I think it would be right if we stick to the position that no Eurofighters will be delivered to Saudi Arabia."
The defense policy spokeswoman of the Green parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Sara Nanni, reminded SPIEGEL that the German government had committed itself in the summer not to deliver any Eurofighters to the country. This was done for good reasons. "I expect the federal government to stick to it. Less than five years ago, the Saudi-led alliance against Yemen launched large-scale bombing." Future wars by the Saudis would look similar.
mfh/dpa