Swedish military 'sold' arms to Saudi Arabia
Published: 12 Mar 12 08:55 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/39616/20120312/
Much of the Swedish weaponry sold to Saudi Arabia in recent years actually came from the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten), according to a new report.
- Reinfeldt approved Saudi arms factory: report (9 Mar 12)
- Riksdag parties informed of arms deal: report (8 Mar 12)
- Sweden to help build Saudi arms plant: report (6 Mar 12)
Following years of cutbacks, the Swedish Armed Forces found itself with a growing surplus of military equipment.
Saab proposed purchasing the materiel from the Swedish military in order to in turn sell it to Saudi Arabia.
Specifically, DI cites a deal by Saab in December 2007, when the company announced an order for several anti-tank missiles.
The paper revealed in 2010 that the buyer was Saudi Arabia, but sources now tell the paper that many of the related mounts and sights actually came from Swedish army warehouses.
According to DI, public documents support the claim that Saab paid the Swedish military for the surplus equipment with the intent of then selling it to Saudi Arabia.
The revelations come following reports last week that Sweden had planned to help build an arms factory in Saudi Arabia, a project which DI reported is directly linked to the sale of the surplus Swedish materiel.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
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You are actually right but The local is reflecting on the responses within the Sweden itself which is considered a scandal. I can even speculate that the recent support drop for Alliansen is stemming from this scandal. Most of The local readers are conservatives with relatively low moral standards so this is not a big deal for them. They will very much use those weapons themselves if they think it supports their conservative cause.
Wherever I go to read something, here you are with your "ifs" and your "but I think they meant this or that". Have you made a survey to know that "most of The Local readers are conservative with relatively low moral standards so this is not a big deal for them"?
According to your statement, you belong to the non conservatives with high moral standards. What a jerk and conceided arrogant you are.
Please, stop writing your BS here and stop trying to act as a low class shrink classifying the type of readers The Local enjoys.
For the way you wrote your comment, I guess you belong to the scum of some of the debaters in these threads.
The Swedish population need to decide, if it is acceptable policy to faciliate such trade. In considering, thought has to be given to the benefit it would have brought Sweden's bank account.
I don't see anything to say that Sweden should hang their heads in shame for it, or do the opposite in the future.
Agree that arm sales to Western allies that share the same values as us is easy to stomach, and Saudi Arabia is, despite its many flaws, a bullwark against the threats made by Iran, not to mention a waterfall of oil for the West.
Having said all that, a few months ago we read the headline that someone there (a foreginer I believe) will be punished with 500 lashes for insulting the relatives of Mohammed.
If they could work this sort of thing out of their customs then it would feel better to me at least that they are being equipped with the most modern weapons.
In particular I fear an Arab spring type uprising there, where women demand greater freedoms, and youth in general demand a more secular state, which is not impossible to imagine occuring sometime in the next 10 years. In that scenario I would positively cringe to think that Swedish weapons might be used to crush them.
weapons and should bring the sales upto zero level and stop any kind
of weapon industry installation in any form and any where in the
world. Sweden should not give excuses that if Sweden would not provide
these arms so China or America or any other country would provide. It
is a total nonsense. We as a country are responsible for ourselves.
Selling arms is not justifiable and should be condemned at all levels.
We are living in a civilized world where the economies should not take
support of arms dealing kind of unethical business. Besides monitory
value or monitory profit a product of any country represent good well
for mankind. Civilized world should set good example for the rest of
the world where there is goodwell deficit. Because if Sweden says
yes to selling arms even a poor country like Afghanistan would never
abandon poppy cultivation. Under- develop countries learn from
civilized world exactly in the same way as children learn from
parents. So the decision is upto us now. Lets Say NO to Weapons