Germany Approves Tank Sale to Indonesia: Source
Reuters
BERLIN - The German government has approved the sale to Indonesia of about 100 used Leopard 2 tanks and 50 armoured
personnel carriers but has put off a decision on a tank sale to Saudi Arabia, a defence source said on Friday.
Germany's national security council, which includes Chancellor Angela Merkel and some cabinet ministers, must approve
large arms sales and the government never comments on its decisions.
Indonesia, southeast Asia's largest economy, had previously indicated it would buy 130 Leopard tanks from Germany's
Rheinmetall AG as part of a $15 billion five-year campaign to modernise its military.
The German source did not say how much the deal was worth but Indonesia said last year the value of the initial
agreement to buy 130 tanks was $280 million.
Indonesia, which has economic growth of above 6 percent, is wary of being left behind as China, Vietnam, Thailand and
other Asian nations ramp up defence spending. This year it announced plans to buy more than a dozen Russian Sukhoi
fighter jets as well as domestically made, missile-equipped patrol ships.
The industry source said Berlin would delay a decision on whether to sell tanks to Saudi Arabia until after the federal
election in September.
It is a sensitive issue in Germany where the opposition criticises sales to some Middle Eastern countries because of
their human rights record
ENDS