EU lawmakers call for arms embargo against Saudi Arabia

The parliament’s vote is not legally binding, however the resolution urged EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini to launch an initiative to impose an arms embargo against Saudi Arabia.

The EU wants its member states to enforce an embargo until investigators can decide whether forces under control of Riyadh breached humanitarian laws during the year-long civil war in neighboring Yemen.

The moves by the Gulf Arab allies came after Saudi Arabia last week suspended aid worth $3 billion to the Lebanese army over the Beirut government’s failure to sign up to statements condemning attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.

Nearly 6,000 people have been killed since the Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict in March 2015, almost half of them civilians, according to the United Nations.

‘The Saudis said to me they may cut off relations, ‘ Howitt added.

The vote was called because of reported heavy civilian casualties caused by the Saudi-led coalition in its war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Germany also licensed exports of $200m to Saudi Arabia in the first six months of past year. “The UK is one of the biggest suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia and needs to heed this call, which has been overwhelmingly supported across the political spectrum and by a vast citizen campaign”, he said.

In an attempt prevent the embargo on Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s representative to the EU.

Scottish MEP Smith, who grew up in Saudi Arabia, said he appreciates “that the Saudis have concerns in their neighbourhood” but he stressed that Yemeni civilians are his primary concern.

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador, Abdulrahman Al Ahmed, defended the kingdom’s actions in a letter to European Union lawmakers on Sunday, saying that “the larger ramifications of our not taking action in Yemen would have had devastating geopolitical consequences for the kingdom, Europe and the broader West as well”.

Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond said in November that he wanted to sell even more munitions to Saudi Arabia.

“We and NGOs want more scrutiny”. It called for a suspension of transfers of certain arms to Saudi Arabia and other coalition countries, citing 13 airstrikes by the coalition between May and July in north-eastern Yemen that reportedly killed some 100 civilians, including 59 children. No licence is issued if it does not meet these requirements. “We monitor the situation carefully and have offered the Saudi authorities advice and training in this area”.