European Parliament Calls on EU to Impose Arms Embargo on Saudi Arabia

Members of the European Parliament have urged the Union to impose arms sanctions on Saudi Arabia. They argue that European countries such as France and the UK should not sell weapons to a country that targets civilians in Yemen. According to Reuters, EU lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of this statement on February 25, with 449 votes in favor and 36 against. The statement is non-binding and calls for Federica Mogherini, the EU's chief foreign policy representative, to prepare the groundwork for sanctions. The European Parliament's statement came after a petition with 750,000 signatures from European citizens was presented on the same issue. The UK and France are among the top arms sellers to Riyadh. Representatives noted that the UK issued a license for $3 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia after Saudi forces began their attacks on Yemen. Saudi Arabia claims it is attacking rebels in the country to restore power to the legitimate Yemeni government led by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. The Houthis and a group of supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh have rebelled against the Yemeni president. The rebels seized the presidential palace a year ago and placed Hadi under house arrest. Hadi eventually fled from Sana'a to Aden and then to Saudi Arabia. Previously, Amnesty International had warned about the potential for 'war crimes' during the airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and called for arms restrictions against the country. The organization has previously emphasized the occurrence of war crimes by the parties involved in Yemen, stating that 'there is no safe place for civilians in that country.'