Qatar asks to buy $ 2.46 billion German tanks

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - A new report says that Qatar has asked to purchase Leopard 2 combat tanks from Germany, a month after Saudi Arabia expressed interest in buying the military vehicles.Qatar wants to buy up to 200 Leopard tanks from Germany, with a potential value of up to 2 billion euros ($2.5 billion), German magazine Spiegel reported on Sunday, without citing sources.The magazine noted that a delegation from the German defense firm, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann had already travelled to the Qatari capital to arrange the deal, adding that Chancellor Angela Merkel was in favor of the sale.The report angered some German lawmakers, who believe the potential arms deal is against restrictive guidelines on the sale of weapons to repressive regimes.Senior politician Volker Beck, from the opposition Green party, said he opposed the sale of advanced weaponry to Qatar as the emirate did not observe acceptable human rights standards.Last month, Saudi Arabia expressed interest in acquiring between 600 and 800 Leopard 2 tanks in a potential deal, which is estimated to be worth EUR 10 billion (USD 12.31 billion).According to a report, published by Amnesty International, German weaponry, including small firearms, ammunition, and military vehicles have been massively used in the Middle East and North Africa to suppress peaceful protests. /129