Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte

Rome : The Italian government backs a halt to the selling of arms to Saudi Arabia and intends to announce its position the issue “soon”, populist premier Giuseppe Conte told reporters in Rome on Friday.

“We are not in favour of the sale of these weapons,” Conte said at his end-of-year press conference.

“I can confirm that discussion of this question is on the agenda.”

“We are assessing the possible consequences and will soon reach our conclusions,” Conte stated.

He was answering a question on Italy’s ongoing arms exports to Saudi Arabia given the devastating Saudi-led aerial bombardment of Yemen and the Kingdom’s suspected involvement in the brutal murder of dissent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in October.

—IANS/AKI