German Economics Minister, Peter Altmaier, is part of a democratically elected government. Only sometimes, he ruled as an Emir, no one can – especially when it comes to the sensitive issue of German arms supplies to Arab sheikhs.
journalists not discover such German weapons in the civil war, the country of Yemen, although Altmaier had previously claimed that there was? Bad luck for the journalists!
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A Leclerc tank United Arab Emirates, apparently with add-on armour from Germany, according to Agency AFP, taken in November 2018 in Hodeidah in Yemen
©Saleh Al-Obeidi, AFP
As was evidenced primarily by the star, as well as of “Report München” and the “Lighthouse Reports” co-sponsored research project #GermanArms that German war in Yemen, to water, to land and in the air. And yet, Altmaier remained unmoved. Stick to it, “that we have no knowledge of such German weapons in Yemen,” said his spokeswoman brusquely. To the contrary reports in the press they could not comment on “next”.
Exclusive #GermanArms The business with the war, By Hans-Martin Tillack
Text: CDU-walls man Altmaier, and similarly, foreign Minister Heiko Maas of the SPD to try. You could also say: you are trying to obscure. Because you have taken note of the reports of #GermanArms very well noted – and disagreed with so far not a single concrete result of the findings in Yemen. In the meantime, there is even circumstantial evidence, that, in particular, the military of the Emirates broken the rules and given End-use certificates violated. This concerns at least the safety systems in the value of 126 million euros, to deliver the Burbacher company Dynamit Nobel Defence, the Emiratis still from March 2017 for battle tanks of the type Leclerc – technology, which appeared obvious on the Front in Yemen.
German tanks at the Front in Yemen
That actually does not should be, you could close these days from a response from Altmaiers Secretary of state Ulrich Nußbaum to a question from the Deputy Sevim Dagdelen, the left party. She wanted to know whether the government had allowed since the start of the Yemen war exports, “which expressly provides for a possible use in the Yemen war had been requested”. Clear answer of the Secretary of state: “permits in accordance with the question were not issued.”
drilldown report So we found off the coast of Yemen in Germany, built ships of war, By Hans-Martin Tillack
Similar close-to-disclose confidential logs from the economy Committee of the Bundestag, the existence of the star and the ARD magazine “Report München”. In the Committee of government are not legitimate representatives of new arms exports to Saudis, like the Emirates, even after the start of the Yemen war, in March 2015 again and again with the “defence” of the two monarchies,-with a stake in the war-torn country. A “legitimate need for protection” the Emirati led the then Parliamentary state Secretary Iris Gleicke (SPD), for example, in a meeting on 26. April 2017. The government had approved the export of German technology for the Leclerc battle tank to Abu Dhabi. As a justification mentioned Gleicke, that the local sheikhs are “part of the Anti-IS coalition and, since 2004, a strategic Partner for Germany”. A scheduled deployment in the Yemen is mentioned on the occasion of international according to the Protocol.
“had to with the devil
go” Still, you saw on the streets of Yemen from the end of 2017 repeatedly Leclerc tanks to the UAE with a box-shaped shields, which look exactly like the company from Burbach in the siegerland. “That would have to go with the devil, if it would be exactly the System”, confirmed by the Berlin armaments expert Otfried Nassauer, the star.
Now Altmaiers authority refers to the earlier statements of the Ministry, which you can understand, as the Emiratis and Saudis, a use of German weapons in Yemen allowed. Their military coalition fighting there “at the request” of the internationally renowned Yemeni regime, – was stated in the government’s response to a request of the Greens in April 2017. Berlin had given a free Hand to use for German tank technology in Yemen? The match bad to all of the recent assurances from the government that you “have no knowledge” the use of German war equipment in Yemen.
#GermanArms As soldiers of the Emirates with technology from Germany for the war training Of Hans-Martin Tillack
The Grand coalition seems to entangle in contradictions. She had approved the export of the protection systems for the main battle tank of the Emiratis in 2017 in any case, although it existed since 2015 images and reports on the use of Emirati Leclerc tank in Yemen. It may be that the officers had not read in the Federal Ministry of the economy, such as in the foreign office, these reports easily?
coalition government is entangling itself in contradictions
Actually, had the Minister of economic Affairs a few weeks ago the exact opposite and explain That you leave yourself at the private arms control policy on these public sightings. So far, the Federal government itself controlling the whereabouts of small arms such as rifles or pistols, because where the risk is particularly great that you go “over the limit, without you knowing,” said Altmaiers speaker on the 8. February in the Federal press conference: “But when a tank is supplied as suddenly across a border in another country, then the Knowledge is of course very public,” or there is information from the secret services.
Since the end of February it is thanks to the research of #GermanArms a new public “Knowledge” – but Altmaier, & co. don’t want to know it now, apparently, so exactly. In a report from 12. March for the economic Committee on the results of #GermanArms made the Ministry of the economy, there is no concrete statement tions to the individual. Only pressure from the members of the Committee, a state said Secretary, to examine the research and, soon, in Detail. “You don’t want to be made in any case for an end-use control, responsible, the works,” commented the Green-a foreign politician Omid Nouripour. “That’s why they make bird-Strauss.”
Green: “power of government to Vogel Strauss”
So the head stuck in the Sand? Not all in the Grand coalition want to be part of this. In the SPD’s criticism suggests. “The Researchersd results suggest violations of the end-use statement, which must have consequences,” says the SPD disarmament expert Thomas Hitschler.
EXCLUSIVE #GermanArms Jets with German technology, through the Yemen By Ruben Rehage
unlike for example the USA and Switzerland, the German authorities until today to check the whereabouts of the German guns on the ground – except in the case of small arms. But since the research results of the #GermanaArms are known, not only require the Left and the Green, such a so-called Post-Shipment Kontrolen, but also economic experts. “You should generally do in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, more on-site checks and to provide proof that the End-user certificates to be complied with”, advises on export licenses for specialized Büdinger lawyer Harald Hohmann. He prepared himself for commercial “contracts, in which the manufacturers are obliged to, on-site inspections”. Hohmann fills the void left by the Federal government due to their lack of controls.
Emirates military base in Eritrea
held in spite of the Embargo That the Emiratis seem to care about German rules a little, also shows her dealing with the arms embargo on Eritrea imposed by the UN in December 2009. There was also drove, according to German law until March 2019, with even the “by” of armaments to be prohibited. Nevertheless, established the Emiratis a military base in the Eritrean port and stationed since at least the year 2016 ships of war, which had a relatively brand-new German weapons on Board.
was First stationed in the spring of 2016 there is a Corvette type Baynunah. The war ships of this class are equipped with 27-Millimeter guns with a defence company Rheinmetall. The Federal government may be invoked only bad to know that nothing, because, already in January, 2017, an official report to the UN pointed to the security Council on the presence of this type of ship of the UAE Navy in the port of Assab.
warship with Rheinmetall technology in Eritrea
On satellite images of the provider, Terra server, from 29. October 2016, one can identify, moreover, a 88-Meter-long warship type Abu Dhabi in the port in Eritrea. The ship was provided by the Emirates in 2013 in service and is equipped with the “Multi Ammunition Softkill System” (MASS) from Rheinmetall. The group had made the self-in June 2010, public. From March 2017, also a bit older, but completely manufactured in Germany Emirati war were always ships of classes Frankenthal and Muray Jib on satellite images from Assab to recognize.
#GermanArms German tanks deployed in Yemen – and what did Israel do in order to Of Hans-Martin Tillack
The Foreign office asserts, however, that they had “no knowledge that German ships or ships of the UAE Navy from German production would be run in the Eritrean port of Assab.” Media reports are from the point of view of the diplomats – other than a couple of weeks ago by the government, is not a sufficient source of knowledge suggests – now “”.
Not all can be so easily fobbed off. “The United Arab Emirates are not a reliable recipient country”, concludes the tübingen-based lawyer and arms expert, Holger Rothbauer from the research from #GermanArms. The Federal government should pull about the consequences and here, “finally, the statutory reliability test start”.
you Would say do that and officially violations of the end-use Declaration would, of course, serious “consequences,” the acknowledged even Altmaier, spokeswoman at the end of February: “applications can no longer be allowed because the person would then be, so to speak, to be trustworthy.” Exactly would like to spare the Federal government the Emirates obvious. From the point of view of the CDU and the CSU is annoying enough that the SPD is on the arms embargo against Saudi Arabia. Deliveries to the value of two billion euros hanging about in limbo. Since you don’t want to manifest a break with the sheikhs in Abu Dhabi. The United Arab Emirates shall apply even in the SPD-Minister Maas as a “strategic Partner”.
“The United Arab Emirates have been shown with German weapons of the war in the Yemen,” criticises, however, the Left party Deputy Sevim Dagdelen. It was “understandable that the Federal government approved the wind the shadow of the debate about arms exports to Saudi Arabia continue to supply weapons to the Gulf dictatorship”.
And the lawyer Rothbauer reacts with bitter mockery, to the attitude of Altmaiers authority: “The actual Unreliable to sit in the Ministry of the economy,” he says.
