EU lawmakers call for Saudi arms embargo

European Union lawmakers are calling for an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia as well as a ban on equipment that could be used in any government crackdown.

The lawmakers voted Thursday by 325 for, 1 against and 19 abstentions on a resolution calling on member countries "to impose an EU-wide arms embargo on Saudi Arabia" in response to the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

The non-binding resolution also demands a halt to exports "of surveillance systems and other dual-use items that may be used in Saudi Arabia for the purposes of repression."

Leading Greens lawmaker Ska Keller said "EU countries must not continue to turn a blind eye to the serious human rights violations committed by the Saudi government."

Many EU nations are debating a halt to arms exports but there has been no clear push for an embargo. [AP]