Sunday, March 26, 2017

Australia Sells Arms to Saudi Arabia

The Turnbull Government is now directly stoking the US-backed Saudi/UAE war on the Yemeni people:

"Australian firms have secured contracts to supply military equipment to Saudi Arabia, an autocracy accused of ongoing war crimes in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 civilians. Defence has approved four military exports to the kingdom in the past year and the Australian government has led the push for more. But the government has refused to release details of the approved military sales, citing commercial-in-confidence rules... Mr Pyne [Minister for Defence Industry]... would not comment on the value of materiel exports to Saudi Arabia... He declined to name which businesses accompanied him to Riyadh." (Defence approves military deals with Saudi Arabia, Patrick Begley, Sydney Morning Herald, 25/3/17)

See also my 2/2/16 post Australia's Dogs of War in Yemen.

1 comment:

Grappler said...

One has to ask oneself to whom this government is responsible - certainly not the people of Australia. Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen is almost certain to result in more terrorism in Western countries, including possibly Australia. It will cost us both in the economic burden of increased security measures and in reduced freedoms at home and when travelling, in addition to lives and injuries, but these are never weighed against the blood-stained cash we garner from these contracts. Once again we are on the wrong side of history.

Meanwhile, while Saudi Arabia can afford to buy military equipment from us, it cannot afford to pay its guest workers:

http://www.newsweek.com/starving-guest-workers-trapped-saudi-arabia-513221