Dozens Of Human Rights Organizations Oppose The US-United Arab Emirates Arms Deal

US air force F-35A fighter aircraft (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - As many as 29 weapons control and human rights (HAM) organizations signed a letter opposing the sale of arms from the United States (US) to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The transaction, worth 23 billion dollars, consists of missiles, F-35 fighter jets and drones.

"The hope is to stop these sales altogether," said Seth Binder, a member of the advocacy team at Project on Middle East Democracy, which is leading this opposition effort, Monday, November 30.

"But if that is not possible (materialized) in the short term, then this (letter) sends an important signal to the future Biden administration that there are various organizations opposed to the arms delivery," Binder said, referring to US president-elect Joe Biden who will inaugurated January 20, 2021.

Dozens of organizations also asked the US Congress to cancel the sale agreement. "Planned arms sales to the UAE, a party to the conflict with Yemen and Libya, will continue to inflame civilian harm and further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis," their letter was quoted as saying, sent to legislators and the State Department.

The signatories to this letter include a number of human rights organizations from the Middle East region, including the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) and Mwatana for Human Rights.

Three US senators put forward regulations to stop the sale of weapons originating from the company General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. This is at the same time the latest confrontation with President Donald Trump in the remainder of his administration.

The law on US arms sales allows senators to vote on a resolution of disagreements. However, the resolution can go into effect only with the approval of the Republican-led Senate, which rarely opposes Trump's decisions.

Submission of resolutions must also go through the Legislative Council led by the Democratic Party. "In line with US interests and values, the UAE's highly capable military constitutes a strong barrier to aggression as well as an effective response to violent extremism," the UAE Embassy in Washington told Reuters in a statement.