Page 12 - ADT FEBRUARY - MARCH 2021 Online Magazine

to Saudi Arabia and UAE is Italy. In January,
the country banned future sales to the Middle
Eastern countries because of concerns that
Italian weapons could be used to kill civilians [ REPORT ]
in Yemen. According to the Italian Peace and
Disarmament Network, which connects organi-
zations campaigning against Italy's arms sales,
the decision would stop the supply of at least
12,700 bombs.

The Italian government’s decision applies to
six different licenses.
"THE DECISION INCLUDES LICENSES
GRANTED TO SAUDI ARABIA IN 2016
COVERING ALMOST 20,000 MK SERIES
AERIAL BOMBS WORTH OVER 411
MILLION EUROS,"
Riccardo Noury, a spokesperson for Amnesty
International in Italy.

Pressure in mounting on the UK to stop supply-
ing arms to Saudi Arabia after figures released
by the Department for International Trade
revealed that the country had authorized the
sale of US$1.88bn worth of arms, including
missiles and bombs, to Saudi Arabia between
July and September last year. For more than 30
Tamir interceptor and launcher, and the SkyHunter missile. years, Saudi Arabia has been buying Tornado
and Typhoon combat jets as well as Hawk jet
Raytheon is also working on projects intended to improve cyberse- trainers from the UK. Raytheon’s Paveway
curity in the Middle East. In July 2019, the company announced that IV precision-guided bombs are partly built in
it had received a US$ $110 million contract to develop and establish the U.K. Of the country’s US$125bn defence
a cybersecurity operations center for a country in the Middle East exports since 2010, 60 percent of weapons
North Africa region. The U.S. defence contractor has also formed have been purchased by countries in the Middle
a joint venture in association with Saudi Aramco. Middle East East.
Cybersecurity will provide defensive cybersecurity products and
services within Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East/North Africa The government’s decision to authorize the
region. export of almost $1.9bn worth of weapons
came after a ban on sale of weapons to Saudi
Pressure on the UK Arabia was lifted in July last year. The ban
Industry analysts expect Biden’s stand on arms sales to the had been imposed in June 2019 after a U.K.
Middle East to have an impact on other countries selling weap- Court of Appeal ruled that the government may
ons in the region. One country that will no longer be selling arms have flouted international humanitarian law by
approving weapons that might have been used
in the civil war in Yemen.

If the British government has plans to rein-
troduce a ban on sale of weapons, it is very
well guarded. According to UK Foreign Office
Minister James Cleverly, British arms sales
are done with "great care" to ensure they do
not lead to any breaches of humanitarian law.
“The decisions the US takes on matters of arms
sales are decisions for the US,” he says. “The
UK takes its own arms export responsibilities
very seriously, and we continue to assess all
arms export licenses in accordance with strict
licensing criteria."

12 | February/March 2021 W W W .GBP .C OM.SG/ A DT