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PHOTO FILE: A protester holds a poster with a photo of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in front of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 25, 2018. REUTERS / Osman Orsal / File Photo
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Denmark has suspended authorizations to export arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia following the murder of a dissident Saudi journalist and the role played by the kingdom in the conflict. Yemen, announced Thursday the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Germany has already suspended the issuance of its future arms export licenses and has worked to stop all arms sales, while France announced Monday that it would soon decide on sanctions for the sale of weapons. Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month.
Saudi Arabia is one of the largest arms importers in the world. He leads a military coalition that is involved in a civil war in Yemen in which tens of thousands of people died and caused a major humanitarian catastrophe.
"With the steady deterioration of the already dire situation in Yemen and the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, we are in a new situation," Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said in a statement.
Denmark has published ten such authorizations last year, according to the ministry. Authorizations already granted will not be suspended, said a spokesman.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday congratulated Saudi Arabia for helping to drive down oil prices, but pressure has intensified for the United States to impose tougher sanctions on its US ally. Middle East for the murder of Khashoggi.
Stine Jacobsen report; Edited by Clarence Fernandez and Raissa Kasolowsky
