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YEMEN-CONFLICT-SAUDI-FRANCE-SHIPPING
Saudi cargo ship won’t dock at French port for arms: source
RENNES, France, May 10, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A Saudi cargo ship that had been
expected to pick up a hugely controversial shipment of French arms from
France’s Le Havre will not dock there, a port source said Friday.
French Defence Minister Florence Parly had on Wednesday said French weapons
would be loaded onto the Bahri Yanbu, which has been anchored off the
northern port for the past few days.
The shipment has triggered controversy in France amid fears the arms could
be used against civilians in Saudi’s military campaign in Yemen.
“The stopover won’t take place,” the port source told AFP, without giving
further details.
French investigative news site Disclose leaked a classified military note
last month detailing the use of French tanks and artillery in the Yemen war.
The report sparked a political furore in France although Parly insisted
there was “no proof” of casualties in Yemen caused by French weapons.
There had been protests against the docking of the ship in Le Havre. There
was no immediate indication of where the vessel might head next or what had
prompted the change of plan.
BSS/AFP/RY/1746 hrs