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German halt in arms sales to Saudi Arabia causing serious problems: Airbus

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Reuters MUNICH

MUNICH (Reuters) - Germany's halt in exports to Saudi Arabia is preventing Britain from completing the sale of 48 Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes to Riyadh, and has delayed potential sales of other weapons such as the A400M military transport, a top Airbus official said Friday.

Germany in November said it would reject future export licences to Saudi Arabia after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It has not formally banned previously approved deals, which would entitle companies to compensation, but has urged industry to refrain from such shipments for now.

Airbus Defence and Space chief Dirk Hoke told Reuters the resulting uncertainty had undermined Germany's credibility, and could threaten promising future Franco-German defence projects, including a planned Eurodrone that was heading for an initial contract by the end of the year.

 

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold in Munich and Andrea Shalal in Berlin)

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First Published: Feb 15 2019 | 8:40 PM IST

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