Local Editor
Norway announced on Friday that it was suspending new licenses for arms exports to Saudi Arabia following recent developments in the Gulf kingdom and the situation in Yemen.
A foreign ministry spokesman declined to say whether the decision was partly motivated by the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
“We have decided that in the present situation we will not give new licenses for the export of defense material or multipurpose goods for military use to Saudi Arabia,” Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement.
Germany said last month that it would halt German arms exports to Saudi Arabia until the killing of Khashoggi was explained.
Norway’s announcement comes a week after its foreign minister summoned the Saudi ambassador to Oslo to protest Khashoggi’s assassination.
The decision [to suspend licenses] was taken after “a broad assessment of recent developments in Saudi Arabia and the unclear situation in Yemen,” the foreign ministry said in its statement.
US Not to Refuel Saudi Planes Bombing Yemen Anymore
The Saudi aggression targeting Yemen is opting to refuel its aircraft independently going forward, ending collaboration with US military assets.
The Saudi Press agency released a statement on Saturday explaining that the coalition was able to "increase their capacity" for refueling their aircraft and would do so independently going forward. US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis confirmed the decision was made in consultation with the US government.
On Friday, Reuters reported, citing unnamed US officials, that Washington considering ending the refueling of coalition aircraft in Yemen, citing both the coalition's own increased capabilities and growing international outrage over the human consequences of the war in Yemen.
Opposition to US collaboration with the Saudi coalition in Yemen has increased following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The Saudi-led coalition has been accused of targeting hospitals, water infrastructure, and other civilian targets, and raids on wedding parties and the recent bombing of a school bus have sparked international condemnation.
The US and UK have both been criticized for continuing to sell arms to the coalition despite their targeting of civilians and alleged war crimes.
According to the UN, some 14 million Yemeni people – fully half the country’s population – are dependent on food aid for their survival, and more than 400,000 children are suffering from serious malnutrition.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
