Sweden has been secretly helping Saudi Arabia plan the construction of an arms factory to produce anti-tank missiles, the Swedish national broadcaster has reported.
The Swedish Defence Research Agency (known by its Swedish acronym FOI) has co-operated with Saudi Arabia since 2005, though construction on "Project Simoom" has yet to begin, Swedish Radio reported on Tuesday, citing hundreds of classified documents and interviews with key players.
Denying the existence of the project, Jan-Olof Lind, the FOI director general, told the radio station: "We do not have a project agreement with that country."
While Sweden has sold weapons to Saudi Arabia in the past, classified government documents show that the current project "pushes the boundaries of what is possible for a Swedish authority", the radio reported. Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, a member of the largest coalition party,
the Moderates, told public radio that he supported continuing
co-operation with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is Sweden's largest trading partner in the Middle East.
For more: Anger over Sweden's 'secret' Saudi arms plant - Europe - Al Jazeera English
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