France suspends arms sales to Egypt

Paris (AFP) Feb 5, 2011 France said on Saturday it had suspended sales of arms and riot police equipment to Egypt as fresh protests took hold of Paris pressing for veteran leader Hosni Mubarak to step down. The decision was taken by the prime minister's office at an extraordinary meeting on January 27, and was conveyed to those concerned the following day, an aide to Prime Minister Francois Fillon told AFP.
With regard to equipment used to maintain public order, "export permits for explosive materiel, mostly tear gas grenades, are the responsibility of customs. These were suspended on January 25," the aide said.

Related articles

• France suspends arms sales to Egypt (cnn.com)
• France suspends sale of arms, tear gas to Egypt at early stage of uprising (theglobeandmail.com)
• France Suspended Arms, Riot Gear Exports to Egypt in January (businessweek.com)