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"Absolutely unacceptable": SPD leaders demand fewer arms exports

2020-01-07T05:23:11.912Z


The new SPD leaders Norbert Walter-Borjans and Saskia Esken are campaigning for fewer arms exports. The two are also critical of the stationing of US nuclear weapons in Germany.



The new SPD leadership wants to significantly restrict German arms exports and at the same time questions the stationing of US nuclear weapons in Germany. Party leader Norbert Walter-Borjans told the Funke media group: "The federal government has to handle arms exports more restrictively. As often as German weapons appear in crisis regions and dictatorships, this is absolutely unacceptable."

The chairwoman Saskia Esken said: "In the peace policy tradition and basic attitude of the SPD, we stand for Germany to export fewer weapons."

However, the arms exports approved by the federal government reached a new record in 2019. The previous high of 2015 was just exceeded by December 15 with 7.95 billion euros.

Regarding US nuclear weapons, Walter-Borjans said: "The problematic nature of the existence of nuclear weapons in general and the deployment of American nuclear weapons in Germany is particularly clear given the worrying escalation of the conflict in Iraq."

"Want all nuclear weapons to disappear from Europe"

The solo efforts of US President Donald Trump have "fundamentally changed something" in NATO and in transatlantic cooperation with the USA. But it is not just about the nuclear weapons of the United States on German soil. "We want all nuclear weapons to disappear from Europe, including those based in Russian territory."

Experts estimate that around 20 US atomic bombs are still stored in Germany for the nuclear deterrence of NATO. The Bundeswehr has tornado fighter jets ready for use in emergencies.

The Left and Greens campaign for the withdrawal of the nuclear weapons stationed at the Büchel air base in Rhineland-Palatinate. In the 2017 federal election campaign, the then SPD chancellor candidate Martin Schulz also campaigned for this.

Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) campaigned for nuclear disarmament during a visit to Hiroshima, Japan, in November, but at the same time spoke out against unilaterally withdrawing nuclear weapons from Germany.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2020-01-07

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