Saudi Arabia violates many human rights and is largely responsible for the humanitarian disaster in the war, the country of Yemen. Now a new military cooperation between Berlin and Riyadh provides for a dispute.
A in the case of an air attack destroyed house in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa
Soon, the Bundeswehr in Germany, some of the Saudi soldiers to the officers. And, although Saudi Arabia since 2015 in Yemen, a bloody war. The Information of the German press Agency (dpa), which confirmed the Ministry of defence, with the opposition parties for outrage. Left and the greens called on Monday for the immediate cessation of the project.
Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, 2016 in Riyadh, Mohammed bin Salman (R)
The upcoming training Saudi Arabian soldiers goes back to a visit of defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen in the Saudi capital Riyadh by the end of 2016. There, the CDU-politician agreed with the today’s crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was then the Minister of defense, individual soldiers in the country to be trained in Germany. A corresponding agreement was signed in April 2017 in Jeddah.
“Humanitarian Disaster”
This Riad has been fighting for four years with an Alliance of Arab States, especially the United Arab Emirates, against Huthi rebels in neighboring Yemen, which in turn are supported by Iran. This war led to a humanitarian disaster, the scale of the United Nations, currently the worst in the world.
The 2018 murdered Journalist, and a Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi
The bestial assassination of the saudi Arabian government critic Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in October 2018 overshadowed the cooperation. In addition, Saudi-Arabia a few days ago, 37 people were executed on Terrorism charges – among them several at the time of the alleged crime is still a minor.
“Immediately exit”
The foreign policy of the Greens, Omid Nouripour, called on now to stop the cooperation in the training of the officers “immediately”. “Not only because of the disastrous war, the country’s leadership in Yemen, but also because of the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia itself,” he says sightings of the Deutsche Welle, with reference to the recent executions. Berlin must reconsider the security cooperation with Riyadh.
Sevim Dagdelen, A Left Party Politician
The Vice-Chairman of the Left group in the Bundestag, Sevim Dagdelen, called it “simply outrageous” that the Federal government “for the Islamist head-from-dictatorship of the butcher in Germany to form”, and calls for an immediate end to it. By contrast, CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak defended the cooperation. As before, his party believe it is “important to stay in contact and to talk to each other and work together”.
Many Years Of Practice
The training of future officers of other countries are to be explained at the leadership Academy of the Bundeswehr in Hamburg is a common practice, as long-time connoisseurs. Germany has such military-to-military relationships, such as to Saudi Arabia to about 100 countries around the world.
The leadership Academy of the Bundeswehr in Hamburg
A reciprocal training with NATO partners in Hamburg for a long time – as a basic idea of the Western defense Alliance, NATO. So French, English and American officer candidates in Hamburg, and in return, German officer, young in France, England and the United States, learning, for example. Also from African countries, China, Pakistan, Jordan and Egypt, some of the future military leaders in Hamburg to complete their training. The same cannot be said for the United Arab Emirates, are also involved in the war in the Yemen, and Qatar, which is always again faced with the alleged support of Islamist terrorists.
Termination possible?
Currently, this international commitment to the training is particularly important, because the values in the longer term, ideas can influence, says someone with a lot of experience, does not want to be called. Legally, a stop of the project would be possible. The first five years, the agreement between Riyadh and Berlin allows for immediate termination by mutual agreement or unilateral termination with a notice period of six months. After all, it was after the formation of the coalition government in Germany, a part of the arms export stop on the right on the Yemen war in the participating States, including Saudi Arabia. After killing Khashoggis in October 2018, a complete it was stop for Saudi Arabia, which was only eased recently, easy delivery.
But if Berlin terminates the agreement unilaterally, and thus, six months forward, this would not prevent at least a Start of the course. Because already been a good two months of the officer’s course of the first Saudis in the German army and air force launches.