South African arms sales to Saudi Arabia suspended

South African Defense Minister Joe Modise stressed on Tuesday that his country proposed arms sales of artillery and warplanes at a cost of US $1.7 billion to Saudi Arabia, which have been suspended for two years due to expenditure restrictions in Saudi Arabia.

In statements to reporters in Cape Town on the inauguration of the last session of the parliament prior to the general elections to be held in May, Modise said that the Saudis "asked us to postpone this operation (of buying the weapons) for two years."

He asserted that the Saudi armed forces has tested "artillery G 6," adding that Saudi Arabia is still indebted for US $7 billion as a result of the Gulf War and is under the pressure of its debtors, thereby it was obliged to postpone the arms deal.

According to the deal South Africa would have sold to Saudi Arabia pilotless reconnaissance planes and self-propelled G 6 Howitzer artillery.