Germany to refuse arms sale to Saudi Arabia

The German government would refuse to sale Leopard 2 battle tanks to Saudi Arabia, German media reported on Sunday. German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel internally has spoken against the sale of Leopard 2 tanks to Saudi Arabia, according to the national Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag. Saudi Arabia is interested in buying up to 800 Leopard 2 tanks from German manufacturers Kraus-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall and plans to pay about 18 billion euros (about 25 billion U.S. dollars) for the arms purchase. Germany's Federal Security Council, who grants permission for German arms exports, has not received any official request for arms sale to Saudi Arabia, according to Bild am Sonntag. Saudi Arabia has been seeking to buy the German battle tanks for many years. The export of arms to the country, however, is reportedly a controversial issue in Germany because of concerns over Riyadh's security policy. Germany had already postponed a decision on whether or not to proceed with the sale of Leopard 2 tanks to Saudi Arabia last year, reports said.