Italian Defence minister visit to Riyadh sparks furore

Devastation created by Saudi bombs in Yemen

 ROME -- The Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia has sparked controversy in the opposition over what is seen as Italy trying to get lucrative defence contracts with the Saudis while they are under criticism for bombing civilians in Yemen, government sources said Wednesday.

 The Defence Minister visited Riyadh Oct. 3 to sign new military contracts with allies in the Saudi capital “for the stability of the region,” despite the knowledge that Saudi bombs very often hit hospitals, markets and mosques, killing huge numbers of civilians.

 Just under a year since Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the Defence Minister met her Saudi counterpart (and Saudi vice-prince by inheritance), Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Oct. 3, and subsequently met King Salman, Oct. 4.

 On ‘Tactical Report,’ a website specialized in security in the Middle-East, “naval contracts” are mentioned. According to the site, “they talked about bilateral relations and ways of incrementing them, especially in the field of defence.”

 However, clearly the presence of the National Arms Director, General Carlo Magrassi, in the delegation, was not coincidental.

 For Francesco Vignarca from ‘Rete Disarmo’ -- the Disarmament Network, who for a long time has denounced the sale of Italian bombs to the sheiks, said that “the obvious discretion about this visit and about the naval contracts is a cause for great worry, especially considering Saudi military activities in Yemen.”

 Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has guided a Sunni coalition against the armed group of Houthi Shiites, without any validation from the part of the United Nations.

 Pinotti reaffirms that “Italy is watching Saudi Arabia’s role in the area with great interest for the stability of the region.”

 Though according to the UN, over 60 percent of civilian deaths (over 3,800) have been caused by Saudi bombings, a fact also denounced by UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon. Perhaps Saudi pilots are indeed told not to hit civilian meeting places, but this is not the reality that actually ensues.

 In August, in the province of Hajja, Saudi bombs hit a ‘Doctors without Borders’ structure, killing 11 people -- this is not the first time that a NGO hospital became a target of their bombs.

 Meanwhile, at the end of September, following pressure from Saudi Arabia, the UN Human Rights Council did not accept the proposal from an independent commission about an investigation into the violation of humanitarian rights in Yemen. The EU was in favour of the investigation, but then suddenly changed opinion, without providing any reasons.

 The law 185 passed in 1990 prohibits the exportation of arms to “countries in states of armed conflict.” Amnesty International, the Rete Disarmo, and the Osservatorio Opal call for the Italian parliament to provide urgent explanations regarding the minister’s visit, ‘Il Fatto Quotidiano’ writes.

 Brescia’s court is also asking for clarification, as the deputy prosecutor, Fabio Salmone, has opened an investigation into the bombs -- made in Sardinia in the German multinational RVM’s factory -- supposedly sold to the Saudis and used in attacks against Yemen. The hypothetical crime in question is the violation of the Law 185.

 Italy has a long history of lucrative arms deals with the Middle-East -- in July, Pinotti signed a deal with Qatar for the provision of five billion euros worth of arms.

 nkd