• Sweden edition
Politics

Sweden ends arms sales to two Mideast states

Published: 10 Mar 11 08:52 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/32500/20110310/

Sweden has halted the deliveries of weapons to two Middle Eastern and North African countries due to the civil unrest gripping the region, the head of a government agency said on Wednesday.

"We have withdrawn licences (for weapons exports) to two countries ... due
to the situation in the region," Andreas Ekman Duse, the head of the Swedish
Agency for Non-Proliferation and Export Controls (ISP), told AFP.

"We cannot say which countries, due to commercial and diplomatic classified information," he said.

His agency, which controls Sweden's exports of military equipment, would closely watch the situation, and the licences could be restored "if the development in these countries goes in a democratic direction," he said, adding "when that will happen I cannot say."

The Local reported on Wednesday that ISP had meanwhile also announced on Wednesday that Sweden last year saw its military equipment exports rise one percent to 13.7 billion kronor ($2.15 billion).

Around 70 percent of that went to the European Union, the United States and
South Africa, with the number boosted by a larger order of 90 tanks to the Netherlands and Sweden's ongoing deliveries of JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to
South Africa.

Another 20-some countries accounted for the remainder of exports, and the Scandinavian country for instance raked in 804 million kronor from weapons
sales to the United Arab Emirates and 246 million kronor from sales to Saudi
Arabia, ISP said in a statement.

Sweden is the 11th largest arms exporter, according to figures for 2009 compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

AFP/The Local (news@thelocal.se)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

08:37 March 10, 2011 by radomu
Ah, god bless.
08:41 March 10, 2011 by glamshek
Can it also send a signal to US and UK to follow the suit ? Well they are the biggest problem creators. Its non sense to even think this way !
09:04 March 10, 2011 by wenddiver
That's a shame, because when you have a war is when you need a really good Arms Dealer.
10:15 March 10, 2011 by Gletta
Bad news we need all the money we can get to support refugees from wars
11:38 March 10, 2011 by The Sentinel
Being a Neutral country is a good move.

Looks as if Sweden remembers mistakes they made back in the 30's with a local neighboring country by suppling their armies with munitions.
12:21 March 10, 2011 by Nemesis
We should be exporting as much as possible.

They will just buy there weapons of the US, Brazil, China or someone else.

We need more jobs in Europe. These exports can help.
13:05 March 10, 2011 by Elias06
the two countries ar Lybia and ALGERIA
08:30 March 11, 2011 by rise
@ The Sentinel

Did you mean the ore for Germany or the Bofors 40mm Guns for England or maybe some other guns for the allies? ;-) Sweden was pleasing both sides and now look what we get for it. :-P But if the Germans would have won they would've given us a bad time as well, because of those guns, just like Swedes now are given a bad time about the ore and the trains etc, from the allied side. But guess what - no one in Sweden cares about your moaning about it.
19:12 March 12, 2011 by wenddiver
That's got to be realy disappointing, just when you realy get your enemies heads and arms flying through the air some idiot cuts your ammo supply. They should sue.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Unrest in Stockholm
Stockholm's not burning

Stockholm's not burning

With international media swooping on the Stockholm riots from every angle, The Local's Oliver Gee explains why Stockholm is not burning, and how the story has been blown out of proportion. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
Stockholm riots: causes and consequences

Stockholm riots: causes and consequences

After five nights of rioting throughout the outskirts of Stockholm, many in Sweden and elsewhere are trying to make sense of it all. The Local spoke to a mix of commentators and local politicians to get their views. READ () »

Swedish firms 'clueless' about foreign graduates

Swedish firms 'clueless' about foreign graduates

As white-collar union Saco slammed Sweden for not helping well-educated foreigners into the labour market, The Local spoke to researcher Josefin Edström about the disconnect between foreign professionals and Swedish employers. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
US and UK issue travel warnings for Sweden

US and UK issue travel warnings for Sweden

The UK Foreign Office has issued a travel warning for Sweden after arsonists tore through several Stockholm suburbs, while Americans have been warned to stay out of the affected areas by their embassy. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
Swedish riot police to call in reinforcements

Swedish riot police to call in reinforcements

With Swedish police set to call in reinforcements in an attempt to get the now five-day-old wave of arson and vandalism under control, Sweden's image abroad may have been tarnished. READ () »

Think You Know Sweden?
Quiz: 'A Swedish city with a pulse'

Quiz: 'A Swedish city with a pulse'

For this week's secret location picture gallery quiz, we head to a city that's among the top 20 in terms of population size. Can you guess which one it is in nine clues? READ () »

Princess Madeleine 'not nervous' about wedding

Princess Madeleine 'not nervous' about wedding

Sweden's Princess Madeleine is "less nervous than she thought" about her impending walk down the aisle at Stockholm's Storkyrkan church to wed US financier Chris O'Neill. READ () »

'Tired' Swedes have less sex than ever: study

'Tired' Swedes have less sex than ever: study

Swedes are having less sex than ever before, a new survey has revealed, and their libidos appear to have waned too, prompting researchers to warn that "desire disorders" may be keeping Swedes from getting intimate. READ () »

More Politics

 

Find a new job in Sweden now
24/05 Accounts Payable to Bosch Rexroth
Academic Work Danmark
Malmö
24/05 Analog Field Application Engineer
Arrow EMEA
Kista, STHM
24/05 Business Analyst, Karlskrona
Capgemini Sverige AB
Karlskrona, BLE
24/05 CAE-Engineers within Solid Mechanics
Randstad AB
Linköping or Växjö or Västerås, VTM
24/05 Corporate Sports Sales Executives
marcus evans (Scandinavia) ltd.
Stockholm
24/05 Development Engineer ? Control Systems
Experis Engineering
SKÅ

ALL JOBS »


 

 

Highlights
DoToday
LIFESTYLE »
What's On:The Local's guide to upcoming attractions and events in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö
www.finest.se
GALLERY »
People-watching May 20-23
Erik Bloom
LIFESTYLE »
Stockholm's ten best-kept secrets - revealed
Fredrik Sanberg/Scanpix (File)
OPINION »
'The future of freedom on the internet is at stake'
Peter Håkansson/Swedish Fashion Council
SOCIETY »
Fashion prize turns Rookies into players
La Neta
LIFESTYLE »
My Swedish Career: We talk to the founder of Stockholm's favourite Mexican restaurant chain - La Neta
Leif R Jansson/Scanpix
NATIONAL »
Riot police 'resorted to racial slurs' in Husby
Scanpix
SPORT »
Sweden win ice hockey world champs at home
Scanpix
SPORT »
Swedes sweep top French football awards
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: Check out this funky three-room apartment on the Stockholm island of Södermalm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Sweden win Ice Hockey World Championships. See the celebrations in Stockholm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Youths burn 100 cars in north Stockholm riots
Finest.se scanpix.se
GALLERY »
People-watching: Nightlife, Ice Hockey Gold celebrations, the royal family... You name it, this week's gallery has it
WikiCommons
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Solna voted best place to live in Sweden
Scanpix
TRAVEL »
Quiz - Think You Know Sweden? This week we head to one of Sweden's ten biggest towns. But which one?
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Eurovision host: 'Not everyone has to like me'
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Denmark wins Eurovision 2013 in Malmö
Paul Hansen/World Press Photo
SOCIETY »
Award-winning Swedish photographer cleared of manipulation
Scanpix
NATIONAL »
A Congolese-Swedish pastor explains the roots to recent cases of parents exorcising demons from their children in Sweden
File photo: AP
NATIONAL »
H&M backs Bangladesh building safety accord
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Eurovision: second semi-final entries
Screenshot: American Apparel
SOCIETY »
Swedes slam American Apparel over 'sexist' ads
Hasse Holmberg/Scanpix (File)
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Housing crunch forces more young Swedes to live with mum and dad
Asif Akbar/sxc.hu (File)
OPINION »
'Not all discrimination in Sweden is racism'
Lana Wimmer
GALLERY »
Hidden Stockholm Gems: Ulriksdal's Palace
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
SOCIETY »
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
AP (File)
POLITICS »
Russia 'lacks capacity' to attack Sweden: Reinfeldt
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: This week, we're looking inside a home from the 1700s just west of Stockholm. Complete with two cannons.
Scanpix (File)
OPINION »
JobTalk: Top ten tips for earning a higher salary in Sweden
Eddie Gee
LIFESTYLE »
Check out the back catalogue of all The Local's Swedes of the Week
Photo: The Local
SPONSORED ARTICLE
Stockholm International School - what’s in IT for students?

 

Latest news from The Local in Germany

More news from Germany at thelocal.de

Latest news from The Local in France

More news from France at thelocal.fr

Latest news from The Local in Norway

More news from Norway at thelocal.no

Latest news from The Local in Switzerland

More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »


Blog Update: The Swedish Teacher

19 March 19:24

“Örngott”, “luttanpluttan” and “chokladglass” »

"Hej! How is your Swedish coming along? I have received many questions on the Facebook page and in my email lately and it seems like a good idea to post the answers here. Enjoy! Question 1 – “får inte” or “måste inte” Could you please clarify for me which is the most commonly used phrase in Swedish for..." READ »

Trade binary options
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Therapy in English
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Holiday Luxury Villa in Portugal
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now