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Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Question for Department for International Trade

UIN HL10905, tabled on 22 October 2018

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to halt the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia following the confirmation of the cause of death of Jamal Khashoggi.

Answered on

5 November 2018

The situation in Saudi Arabia is kept under careful review and decisions are made on a case by case basis.

Export licence applications are carefully assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. A licence would not be granted if to do so was inconsistent with the Criteria. The policy remains as announced to parliament in a Written Ministerial Statement on 25 March 2014: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140325/wmstext/140325m0001.htm#14032566000018 .

The key test for the Government for our continued military exports to Saudi Arabia in relation to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) is whether there is a clear risk that those items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL.