Iran Press/Europe: Spain announced yesterday that it had cancelled a contract which would see Saudi Arabia buy $10.6 million (€9.2 million) of weapons from Madrid, Eldiario newspaper reported.
Some 400 high-precision bombs were to be supplied under the deal which was signed by the government of former prime minister Mariano Rajoy.
Madrid must now reimburse Saudi for payments already made for the arms.
The decision comes following a Saudi air strike which hit a school bus and killed 51 people including 40 children, in early August.
Related: Saudi warplanes launch missiles at a bus full of Yemeni children
Spain’s new government has said all arms sales must comply with strict security criteria which include insuring weapons are not used in any other country except the one they are destined for.
The Amnesty International says Spain is the fourth country on the list of major arms exporters to the Riyadh regime. In one of the most recent contracts, the Spanish state-owned shipbuilder Navantia signed a €1.8-billion deal to sell five small warships to Saudi Arabia.
The deal was signed in April by Saudi Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman after his meeting with his then Spanish counterpart Cospedal in Madrid.
Image Caption
Saudi Arabia main customer of Western arms
The Spanish defense ministry’s decision to halt the arms deal it had earlier signed with Riyadh would open the door to the possibility that Spain would join countries such as Sweden, Canada, Finland, Norway, Belgium or Germany, which have suspended their arms exports to the Saudi-led coalition.
According to media reports citing the Amnesty International, between 2015 and 2017, Spain reportedly exported 1.2 billion euros worth of military equipment to the coalition.
“There is extensive evidence that irresponsible arms flows to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition have resulted in enormous harm to Yemeni civilians. But this has not deterred the USA, the UK and other states, including France, Spain and Italy, from continuing transfers of billions of dollars’ worth of such arms. As well as devastating civilian lives, this makes a mockery of the global Arms Trade Treaty,” the Amnesty said.
Other reports said ever since Saudi Arabia launched the military operation in Yemen in 2015, its purchases of Spanish ammunition have nearly tripled, rising from €34.7 million in 2016 to €90.1 million in 2017.
Related: Saudi Crown Prince's talks in London to focus an arms sales
The European Parliament has urged its member states to halt these sales on numerous occasions, admitting that the alliance led by Saudi Arabia violates international humanitarian law by using this weaponry in attacking the civilian population and bombing hospitals, markets and schools.
Saudi Arabia and its allies launched the war on Yemen in March 2015 to reinstall its former Riyadh-allied government. The military aggression has so far killed over 14,000 Yemenis and put millions on the verge of famine. It has also caused a deadly outbreak of cholera.
European countries like France and Britain have provided billions in weapons to the Saudi military amid international calls to halt their arms deals.
Read more:
US role in Yemeni kids massacre has been confirmed
World newspapers :Dems want answers in Yemen bus attack
UN condemns Saudi massacre in Yemen
UN calls for independent probe Into Saudi airstrike on Yemeni school bus
