U.S. To Announce Massive Middle East Arms Sale

U.S. To Announce

Massive Middle East Arms Sale

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The ABC News website brings us this news article today that goes in part like this... The United States and its Middle East allies are expected to raise the ante this week in an intensifying confrontation with Iran. ...the Bush administration is expected to announce a controversial $20 billion arms sale over the next 10 years to Saudi Arabia and five other American allies in the Persian Gulf -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates... A senior defense official told ABC News that the Saudi government unsuccessfully seeks an arms deal nearly every year. This year, the Bush administration is supporting the sale to counter what it sees as a rising military threat from Iran...
Read this article in full at link below...
Possible Saudi Arms Sale Stirs Controversy
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* The Alalam.ir website has this take on the story that starts off like this... In a break from historic Israeli opposition to US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday his regime understands Washington's plan to supply state-of-the-art weapons to Riyadh as a counterweight to Iran... He said that alongside the arms deal, the US is offering a sharp increase in defense aid to Israel, assuring the regime it will retain a fighting edge over its neighbors... "We understand the need of the United States to support the Arab moderate states and there is a need for a united front between the US and us regarding Iran,'' Olmert told a weekly Cabinet meeting... The rare agreement reflects shared US and Israeli concern with Iran's power...
Read the rest of this story in full at link below...
Israel Oks US, Saudi Arms Deal
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* Newsday.com has this report... Two New York congressmen criticized a possible deal to sell state-of-the-art weapons to Saudi Arabia, accusing the oil-rich country of exporting terrorism and acting against American interests... "We need to send a crystal clear message to the Saudi Arabian government that their tacit approval of terrorism can't go unpunished," Rep. Anthony Weiner said at a Sunday news conference. "Saudi Arabia should not get an ounce of military support from the U.S. until they unequivocally denounced terrorism and take tangible steps to prevent it." Weiner was joined by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, both Democrats, who also laid into the Saudi government, saying that any move to supply the Saudis was "folly."
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Weiner, Nadler say they will try to block Saudi arms deal
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* JTA.org has this report out on topic... A U.S. plan to increase military aid to Israel to offset growth in U.S. aid to Arab allies is being welcomed in Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he and President Bush agreed in talks at the White House last month that Israel would receive $30 billion in U.S. military aid over the next decade, averaging $3 billion a year. Olmert said it was an increase of 25 percent...
Read the rest at link below...
U.S. increasing aid to Israel
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More to come on this story this week I’m sure...
AubreyJ.........