LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th June, 2019) The UK government will take any measure to maintain its arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which is engaged in the war in Yemen, after a UK court ruled they were unlawful, Andrew Smith, the spokesman for the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), told Sputnik.
Thursday's ruling by London Court of Appeal came in response to CAAT's appeal of a 2017 High Court judgment which allowed the United Kingdom to continue licensing arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen. The UK Department of International Trade said it would try to challenge the decision.
"The UK government will do everything it can to maintain those sales as that's what's most important to it. We believe that these arms sales are not just immoral, they are illegal, and if the government appeals we're confident they'll lose it," Smith said.
Although the court ruling does not immediately put an end to UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia or suspend existing licenses, it recommends the UK government to examine the situation and assess future risks.
"The main thing that's changed since 2017 is that tens of thousands of people have been killed in this brutal war [in Yemen]. When the arms sales continued that meant the war continued. The war has only gotten worse, the humanitarian crisis has only got worse, yet the arms companies have continued to amass profits from this destruction and the UK government has supported them every step of the way," the CAAT spokesman stressed.
Saudi Arabia is the largest buyer of UK weapons. According to CAAT, the United Kingdom has exported arms worth 5.7 billion Pounds ($7.45 billion) to the Saudi-led coalition conducting airstrikes in Yemen since the start of the conflict in 2015.
