The Rheinmetall Company which manufacturers the powerful Leopard 2 tank cannon has refused to confirm or deny reports that Saudi Arabia is soon to buy 24 percent of the firm. A company spokesman in Duesseldorf simply said yesterday that they were “surprised.”
The Saudi bid to buy shares of Rheinmetall has been interpreted here as a move which will give them access to sensitive military technology and which will place them in a better position to eventually purchase the Leopard 2 tanks.
Israel has opposed any move by West Germany to sell the tanks to Saudi Arabia, stressing that Israel’s national security would be gravely endangered. Israel has also expressed criticism of any move that would enable the Saudis to be represented on the Board of Rheinmetall because of the undue influence it would have in the firm’s operations and sales.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
