Who is supplying weapons to the warring parties in Yemen, is complicit in the humanitarian disaster, say the UN. Germany, too, must feel addressed, writes Rainer Sollich.
Until the end of September, the Federal government needs to meet in Berlin, a difficult decision. You must decide whether Germany’s so-called “export of arms-stop” versus “directly on the Yemen-at the end of the war, participating countries”, prolonged or even exacerbated. The pressure, to weaken the Embargo to continue or to stop it completely, is palpable and, in particular, of the European partner countries, France and the UK, as well as from the domestic weapons industry to The other European partners with a word of “contractual fidelity” in community projects in a Region, in the Europe of today is hardly a reliable Partner can be found. The gun industry fears their businesses and warns of the loss of local jobs.
Moral Duty
It is right to consider all of this. And it is also true that foreign and Foreign economic consequences of policy, not alone moral principles: The warring parties in Yemen obtain their weapons from a variety of sources, some of which have little to no inhibitions, with a cruel war to earn good money. The warring parties in Yemen are the Bomb for your daily and Kill is not mandatory on unabated supply of German arms to rely forging. How necessary is it, therefore, the parties to the conflict to continue with German weapons goods to withhold, if, ultimately, other actors fill the gap and perhaps even “better” on the Die in Yemen earn?
DW editor Rainer Sollich
It is, nevertheless, necessary. I even think it will be a political and moral duty! Because other countries have little concerns to supply arms or military usable components to belligerent parties, may be for political decision-makers in Germany, there is no reason to do so. This contradicts all of the foreign policy values and objectives, which carries the Federal Republic of Germany since its Foundation in pride in front of them. And it contradicts – if not clear by the wording – but clearly the spirit of the German basic law. Also, it is in politics as in life: If no one is willing to work with one of the major concerns one, then can change to the Situation overall, nothing fast.
Who deserves to Die?
Only on Tuesday of this week, a UN review has clearly, once again, shocking how brutal of all the warring parties to proceed in Yemen. They exploit the Land outright for their strategic purposes and for their proxy war, mainly between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabia led the Arab war coalition bombed ruthlessly again and again, civilian institutions such as schools or hospitals. The Iran of supporting Houthi rebels to fire also areas in residential and must be exactly like your opponents, torture, rapes and disappearances blame. Moreover, there is according to the UN notes that the warring parties, despite the catastrophic humanitarian emergency, people intentionally starve in order to influence the course of the war in their favor. It is a dirty and inhuman war, in which none of the parties involved, “has clean hands”, as one of the authors of the UN report said. This also applies to their external supporters: Who delivers weapons there, makes a clear complicit! Also, the UN is make specially attention to the fact that the shipments of weapons to Iran, but also in the USA, France and the UK need to be at least as a possible complicity in war crimes is considered.
If at the end of September will be decided on an extension of the German arms export stops for the countries of the Yemen war, then it is not allowed to go therefore is to continue to weaken. It should be tightened on the contrary, significantly. Because there are scandalous many loopholes and exceptions, so that members of the opposition critics in Germany, speak as the Green already from a “Placebo-adoption”, which should only reassure the Public. A striking example of the many loopholes in the embargo, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who were all alone in the first half of the year 2019 shipments of Armaments to the value of more than 206 million euros from Germany. Are and remain the UAE, even after its recent change of strategy towards the Saudis and their alleged retreat of troops military involved table deep in the Yemen war, and equip there, allied militias and mercenaries with modern weapons. Also these weapons can kill people.